Divorce Stress: How 2 Navigate the Storm

September 5, 2024September 5, 2024
by Dr. Thomas Maples

Divorce is one of life’s most stressful experiences. The emotional turmoil and significant life changes can leave individuals feeling overwhelmed and vulnerable. Understanding the most common sources of stress during divorce can better prepare you to cope with this challenging period.

1. Emotional Turmoil

The end of a marriage often triggers a rollercoaster of emotions – sadness, anger, guilt, fear, anxiety, and loneliness are just a few. These emotions can be intense and unpredictable, making it difficult to function normally. The loss of companionship and the shattered dreams of the future can lead to feelings of grief and despair. If you find yourself having emotional difficulties, this is normal. However, you may sometimes need to seek help outside of your attorney when dealing with the complex emotions that arise during and after your divorce. If this is the case, you may want to consider seeing a marriage and family therapist or counselor to help you navigate the emotional landscape that occurs during a divorce.

2. Financial Strain

Divorce often leads to a significant decrease in financial resources, especially if a spouse is financially dependent during the marriage. Legal fees, dividing assets, and establishing two separate households can create considerable financial strain. Furthermore, the fears associated with financial uncertainty can create a snowball effect because financial insecurity affects nearly every other life domain including relational, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Working with a team, including your family law attorney, financial planner, and a personal well-being coach or therapist can help you navigate the stressors commonly associated with the burdens financial stress can create.

3. Child Custody Battles

For couples with children, child custody battles can be one of the most stressful aspects of divorce. The legal process, the emotional impact on the children, and the fear of losing time with them can cause immense anxiety and stress for both parents. Many times, child custody problems also lead to issues around support and other financial stressors listed above. When facing child custody and support problems, it is imperative to hire a competent attorney who is well-versed in the complexities of family law matters. That is where our team at Maples Family Law can help.

5. Legal Complexities

Divorce entails a complex and often intimidating legal process involving paperwork, court appearances, and negotiations. The need to protect legal and financial interests can lead to emotionally charged negotiations, contributing to the stress associated with divorce. Individuals should assess their strengths and seek assistance from professionals to navigate the legal complexities and emotional challenges of divorce successfully.

6. Coping with Stress During Divorce

While divorce is undeniably stressful, there are ways to cope and navigate this challenging period:

Seek Legal Guidance: Consult with an experienced divorce attorney to understand your rights and navigate the legal process.

Seek Professional Help: Therapists can provide emotional support and coping strategies.

Build a Support System: Lean on friends, family, or support groups for understanding and encouragement.

Practice Self-Care: Prioritize sleep, exercise, and healthy eating to maintain physical and emotional well-being. Listen to inspirational Podcasts or read inspirational blogs to help you understand and navigate your emotions while creating a new direction for your life.

Focus on the Future: Set goals and visualize a positive future to maintain hope and motivation.

7. Conclusion

The most common sources of stress during divorce include emotional turmoil, financial strain, child custody battles, and legal complexities. Emotional turmoil involves a rollercoaster of emotions like sadness, anger, and loneliness. Financial strain arises from decreased resources, legal fees, and establishing separate households. Child custody battles can be incredibly stressful, involving legal processes and emotional impact on children. Legal complexities, including paperwork and negotiations, can also contribute to stress.

Coping mechanisms include seeking legal guidance and professional help, building a support system, practicing self-care, and focusing on the future.

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Divorce

3 Tips to Help You De-Stress During Divorce

August 12, 2019December 7, 2019
by Angie

If you’re like most people going through divorce, you already know how stressful it is. In fact, it’s tough before you even file – so even if you’re still in the planning stages, you’re probably experiencing a fair amount of stress.

So what can you do to make it easier on yourself?

Use these three tips to help yourself de-stress during divorce so you can focus and make better decisions.

3 Tips to Help You De-Stress During Divorce

Every divorce is different, and some are more stressful than others are. You can use these three tips to decompress and help yourself stay a little more centered during the process:

Keep a journal.
Get more than enough exercise.
Talk to a therapist or counselor.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these.

#1. Keep a Journal.

Journaling is one of the most tried-and-true methods of decompressing during tough times. You don’t have to break out a quill pen and a leather-bound book to do it, either. You can create a private video journal using your phone or laptop, keep track of your thoughts on paper or digitally, or create a private blog that nobody sees but you.

A journal can do more than bust stress, too. It can help you create a record of events that could help your attorney. For example, if your ex was supposed to pick up your children and didn’t show up, you can put it in your journal – and when your lawyer needs a list of times and dates when things like that have happened, you have a source to refer back to.

The key is privacy, though. You don’t want to publicly share any information that could hurt your case or get in the way of what your lawyer is doing to preserve your rights during your divorce.

#2. Get More Than Enough Exercise.

Exercise is good for both your body and your mind, and during divorce, it can give you tremendous benefits that you really need. Because exercise releases chemicals in your brain that can help you think more clearly and make you happier, now’s the perfect time to start. If you haven’t been much for exercise in the past, you can always start small – short walks every morning or evening are a great way to clear your head and boost your spirits.

You should always talk to your doctor before you start an exercise program to make sure it’s the right one for you.

Related: Types of divorce

#3. Talk to a Therapist or Counselor.

Sometimes the best way to work through the inevitable stress that divorce brings is to talk to someone outside your circle – an impartial counselor or therapist. A therapist can teach you new coping strategies, listen while you vent, and ensure that you have someone to talk to when you really need someone to listen.

Remember, too, that even if you’re not under a tremendous amount of stress or pressure, talking to a counselor can only help – so it may be a good idea to schedule an appointment with someone just to open the lines of communication with someone you can trust. Kids can benefit from talking to a counselor or therapist, too, so you may want to consider getting them help, too.

Your attorney can help you find a divorce counselor or therapist if you don’t already know one.

Are You Considering Divorce?

If you’re thinking about divorce, or if you’re ready to file or your spouse has already filed, we can help you start moving forward.

Call us right away at (209) 546-6870 or get in touch with a Stockton divorce attorney online to schedule a consultation today.

Divorce

7 Tips for Coping With Divorce Stress

September 28, 2018January 17, 2019
by Angie

When you’re going through a divorce, your Stockton family law attorney will be there for you every step of the way – but what about when you’re at home, being overwhelmed by stress related to the split?

Use these seven tips for coping with divorce stress to help get through this difficult time.

7 Tips for Coping With Divorce Stress

Some of the best ways to cope with divorce stress include:

Staying physically active
Letting go of things you can’t control
Nurturing yourself emotionally
Adjusting your expectations
Making time for fun
Sleeping enough
Joining a support group

Staying Physically Active

Exercise releases endorphins, which are critical at a time like this. While you may not feel overwhelmed with joy after a workout, being physically active can help clear your mind and help you shed some stress. Regular exercise will elevate your mood while it helps to relieve tension, anxiety and even anger.

Letting Go of Things You Can’t Control

You can’t control what other people do, but you can – to an extent – control what you do. That means you need to recognize that you can’t control your ex or the way he or she acts, so let go of him or her. There’s no shame in walking away from your ex because he or she causes you too much stress; you can communicate through your attorneys, a mediator, or even through emails if necessary.

Do Things That Relax You

Whether you’d rather curl up with a good book, watch a movie or play Sudoku, you need to make time for yourself and the things you enjoy. Take a hot bath, start a new hobby (or revisit an old one), and surround yourself with people who care about you. No matter what you do, these are the types of things that recharge you and give you the ability to cope better with adverse situations.

Adjusting Your Expectations

Go back to the fact that you can’t control what your ex says or does. You can’t control how the judge will rule.

With both those things in mind, don’t expect to be able to control anything but yourself and how you react to things. Let go of how you think things should turn out and just know that you’ll have to accept what happens in the end.

Join a Support Group

Seeking help is a sign of strength. It’s what we’re hard-wired to do as humans anyway; we look for help and connections when we need them. Participating in a support group can help you deal with the emotions you’re experiencing right now – and part of that is because you’re talking to people (or even just listening to people) you know can relate to what you’re going through. You’ll learn from others’ experiences and get advice on what worked for them, and you can share your own experiences to help other people in the group – and those are all stress-busting activities.

If you can’t join a support group, for whatever reason, you might want to consider seeing a therapist who understands divorce on an individual basis. Your kids might benefit from talking to someone, too.

Making Time for Fun

It’s hard to have fun when you’re going through a divorce. We know that, and so does anyone else who’s ever been through a divorce. However, it’s incredibly important.

If you can’t have fun – either financial or time constraints are preventing you from doing what you want to do, or you have another reason – it’s important to remember not to isolate yourself. Humans are social creatures, and we need other people during our most difficult times.

Sleeping Enough

Lack of sleep clouds your judgment, makes you irritable, and prevents you from functioning on all your cylinders. Getting even one good night’s sleep will boost your energy levels, enhance your memory’s capabilities, and improve your creativity – and it helps you stay clearheaded enough to make big decisions about your (and your children’s) future.

Do You Need to Talk to a Stockton Divorce Attorney?

We know divorce is stressful, and we’ll take on all the legal responsibilities of yours so you can focus on the emotional aspects.

Call us at (209) 546-6246 or contact us online to schedule an appointment with a Stockton family law attorney now.

Tag: <span>Stress</span>

Divorce Stress: How 2 Navigate the Storm

1. Emotional Turmoil

2. Financial Strain

3. Child Custody Battles

5. Legal Complexities

6. Coping with Stress During Divorce

7. Conclusion

More from Dr. Thomas Maples

A Sacred Journey Podcast

3 Tips to Help You De-Stress During Divorce

3 Tips to Help You De-Stress During Divorce

#1. Keep a Journal.

#2. Get More Than Enough Exercise.

#3. Talk to a Therapist or Counselor.

Are You Considering Divorce?

7 Tips for Coping With Divorce Stress

7 Tips for Coping With Divorce Stress

Staying Physically Active

Letting Go of Things You Can’t Control

Do Things That Relax You

Adjusting Your Expectations

Join a Support Group

Making Time for Fun

Sleeping Enough

Do You Need to Talk to a Stockton Divorce Attorney?