I separated from my husband while on maternity leave from work. I returned to work a few months ago. I've told some coworkers who I feel close to, but other than that it hasn't even come up. I do notice that if I'm referring to XAH, that I am using past tense (ie. "We used to ..." "We had..." etc) but no one has blinked an eye at it and asked me to clarify. As time goes on, and I find myself accepting my situation as it is, I also find that my comfort level in telling people I'm separated has greatly increased. As time goes on, I expect it will feel just as natural to say "I'm single" as it once did to say "I'm married".