4 ways to make life after divorce a little easier

Divorce is undoubtedly difficult. Even in amicable splits, parties can experience overwhelming emotions, painful transitions and a complicated legal process that make people feel stressed and nervous about the future.

That said, there are ways to make life after divorce a little easier on yourself and your family.

1. Commit to a peaceful process – People often imagine dramatic courtroom trials when they think of divorce. However, in many cases, parties can resolve some or all divorce-related matters outside of court utilizing alternative dispute resolution (ADR) methods, such as mediation. These approaches empower divorcing spouses to work together and reach decisions together, which can result in fairer, more satisfactory outcomes.
2. Prioritize the best interests of your child – Having children makes divorce more complicated. But if you can prioritize the needs of your children ahead of your feelings for your ex, the resulting child support and custody issues can be better for your children, which can be better for you in the long run.
3. Keep communication respectful – People say things during a divorce that they later regret. They might release intimate details about their marriage on social media or get so angry at an ex they shoot off a text without realizing how hurtful or threatening it may be. To avoid the long-term consequences of heated exchanges, keep communication respectful. Consider staying off social media and using email for conversations with an ex. There are even tools you can apply that identify hostile tone and other issues in your messages before you send them.
4. Focus on the big picture – There may be countless details to address in a divorce, from indexing your personal property to deciding which parent will have the children on their birthdays. It can be easy to get caught up in the minutiae of the process and feel like you are fighting over everything. To counter this, take a step back every once in a while to get some perspective. Consider what will be important to you in the next chapter and how you want to feel at the end of the divorce.

These tips will not eliminate the challenges of ending a marriage in North Carolina, but they can help you navigate the process more smoothly and focus on the future.