Before you decided to divorce, you probably heard about the horror stories emanating from contentious splits. It is also possible that the emotional fallout and years of resentment have prevented you from initiating the process altogether.
If you are afraid of having a contentious divorce ruin you emotionally and physically, a number of things can be done to protect yourself:
Create a divorce-free zone – There should be certain areas or times where there are no discussions and no updates on the impending divorce. Whether this is at home (or a certain room in the house), during certain times of the day (because of work demands) or around certain people, you should feel comfortable about having space where the divorce does not exist.
Identify your goals clearly and honestly – Ask any guru or motivational speaker, and they will tell you that changes to your life must coincide with positive modifications. Your goals in divorce should be no different. Thinking honestly and clearly about what you want helps get past the emotional hurdles that can make a divorce contentious.
Use the “co-worker” method – We all have them, co-workers we despise but have to work with anyway. You do your best to work with them because you have to, not because you like to. A soon-to-be ex should be treated this way. This essentially means that you shouldn’t take side jabs seriously.
If you have additional questions about managing a potentially contentious divorce, an experienced family law attorney can advise you.
