Tips For Navigating Your Divorce
Divorce is never easy or simple. It takes an emotional and financial toll on every member of your family. If you are facing a divorce, you may feel intense anger, sadness and even grief. Thinking about how to navigate the divorce process can be extremely stressful and overwhelming. Here are some tips for how to navigate this process and minimize the pain and stress:
1. Define your priorities: It is important for you to think hard about what is most important to you
For many couples, it is hard to think about life after divorce. After investing so many years in your marriage, the focus when the decision is made to end the marriage is on the specifics of the divorce. If you do spend time thinking about what your life will be like after your divorce, these thoughts likely do NOT include your former spouse. However, your divorce is just the beginning of a new phase of your relationship, especially if you have children. Post-divorce mediation is a great tool for managing inevitable conflict that comes up after your divorce is final, without having to go back to the courtroom.
COVID-19 has impacted all aspects of our daily life. The changes are too numerous to count for most of us. If you and your spouse have decided that your marriage is over, you might feel uncertain about how to proceed with the divorce process, given the pandemic, family stress and concerns about contracting the virus. In fact, many couples report feeling stuck or frozen during this time, concerned about how to make a big change during such an extraordinary time. Johnson Mediation can guide you through the divorce process during COVID-19. We understand how stressful thinking about a divorce during the pandemic is for many couples
The court system has been difficult to access during the COVID-19 pandemic for obvious reasons. In addition, even if courts are open, the wait times to get in front of a judge can be extremely long. This makes it difficult for couples to move through the divorce process in an efficient and timely manner. In addition, some families do not want to risk the additional exposure that the in-person litigation process requires. Many couples are now looking to divorce mediation services as a way to complete the divorce process from the comfort of your own home.
We have all probably heard the familiar phrase “nearly ½ of all marriages end in divorce.” The truth is,however, this may no longer be the case. In fact, the divorce rate has been declining in the last several years and is currently hovering around 39-40%. There are many reasons for this trend, and over the last year, the pandemic has likely pushed these numbers down even further. Are couples staying together because they are happier? This is unlikely. Here are some of the reasons why the divorce rate is declining:
There are many different reasons why couples choose to divorce. For some, they report that their partner is not committed or is no longer interested in the relationship. For other couples, they may decide to split up because of trust issues, infidelity, high conflict, lack of communication, differences in goals or expectations, financial problems, substance abuse or even domestic violence. No matter what factors have contributed to the decision, divorce is widely known as one of the most stressful life events. Divorce mediation has been documented as the most effective way to proceed if both you and your significant other are ready to end the relationship.
