Divorce can be stressful. One of your goals, when you look into all of your legal options, should be to find ways to reduce your stress level. After all, it can be very detrimental to your health to deal with that type of long-term anxiety.
To start with, you need to understand the two types of chronic stressors that impact you as your marriage ends. First off, you have the “unknowns.” You may ask questions like:
- Who is going to get which assets?
- How will debts get divided?
- How often will you see the kids?
- Will you have to go back to work?
- Can you make ends meet on one income?
- Will your children react well to the new situation?
- Will you feel like the outcome is fair?
These are questions you can only answer as you move through the process, and not knowing the answers is the part that brings you stress.
The other stressors you face are the “known” ones. These may include:
- Having to make a decision about what to do with your home.
- Having to start a new romantic relationship, if you still want that aspect of your life.
- Not seeing the children as often as you did before.
- Having to pay the costs that go along with a divorce.
These are issues you know are going to be tough. Some of them have related unknowns — like exactly how much you’ll see the children — but you know change is coming.
Again, if you really want to reduce stress, the key is to make sure you understand all of your legal options and how you can answer the questions you have.