Los Angeles, California - A Jennifer Lopez insider recently opened up to PEOPLE about how the star is coping after filing for divorce from Ben Affleck in August.

An inside source revealed that JLo "didn't want to file for divorce" from Ben, but "felt like she had no choice."

"Nothing was gonna change," the source said, adding that "this has been one of the hardest years for Jennifer."

Jen listed April 26 as the couple's date of separation, so problems had clearly been brewing for months before the actual filing.

Rihanna Rihanna means business in streetwear spin on viral corpcore trend!

"She was very upset about it," the insider continued.

"But true to her positive outlook on life, she's moving forward with optimism. Instead of feeling like she's fallen flat on her face, she sees it was meant to be."

The source also reported that Jen is "very grateful for all the beautiful memories with Ben, but she's now focused on creating the best future for herself and her kids."

Jennifer has been keeping busy with work lately, dazzling at the Toronto International Film Festival in September to promote the Unstoppable. JLo stars in the movie, which is produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's company Artists Equity.

In September, the actor also confirmed that she will star alongside Brett Goldstein of Ted Lasso fame in a Netflix romantic comedy called Office Romance.