There’s no two ways about it — divorce isn’t fun. Even if you know your relationship isn’t working, feel relieved to be ending it, and are ready to move on, separating a shared life comes with legal hurdles, logistical challenges, and some level of emotional turmoil.
Worst of all, you may feel like you’re floundering when it comes to navigating the tricky waters of divorce. You might not know where to start or how to find the best services for your needs. Many people don’t even fully understand their options or the process they must go through.
When facing divorce feels like trying to read a foreign language, you need a translator. Luckily, DivorcePlus has everything you need in one place, with a range of free public resources and effortless access to professional services.
Getting Your Footing
After you ask for a divorce, your spouse leaves, or you mutually decide to end the relationship, the first step is figuring out what you don’t know. This means undertaking some targeted research.
Research
There’s no shortage of online resources devoted to divorce, but you’ll be overwhelmed by all the information to sift through. What you need is a resource that provides everything you need in one place, with easy access to topics relevant to the specifics of your divorce.
The DivorcePlus platform features informative articles prepared by seasoned professionals, along with the opportunity to ask questions via a community forum. You can get the answers you need and start to forge a path that best suits your needs and circumstances.
DIY Legal Forms
Divorce can be expensive and taxing. While it’s always a good idea to consult with professionals — and you may want the assistance of an attorney for certain aspects of the process — there are some things you can do on your own to save a few bucks.
During your divorce, you may encounter a range of necessary legal forms, such as a petition for divorce, a summons, and agreements about the division of assets and child custody arrangements. Some of these you can fill out on your own, while others may require professional input.
Taking care of anything you can manage on your own will help to curb costs, and you can find a range of free forms through DivorcePlus.
Creating Your Personal Road Map
Once you’ve started to gather information and contemplate the road ahead, it’s time to decide what you hope to accomplish by the time your divorce is complete.
This could include objectives related to the division of assets or child custody. However, you may have a range of other goals. For example, many people would prefer to maintain civil relations with their spouse during and after the process.
You may be dealing with anxieties related to starting anew, living alone, or splitting children between households. You might be looking to make a move or pursue a new career now that your circumstances have changed.
Working with a life and divorce coach is a great place to start. This professional will collaborate with you to fully understand your goals and help you create a road map that leads to happiness, confidence, personal fulfillment, and excitement about the future.
Obtaining Legal Assistance
One of the scariest aspects of divorce is the prospect of hiring a lawyer — many people have never done so and have no idea what to expect. This is where a database of on-demand professionals offering virtual lawyer consultations can be incredibly helpful, as they provide the opportunity to research and interview multiple professionals in search of the right fit.
Your divorce attorney will advise you, act as your advocate, and support you throughout the process in ways you can’t imagine. That’s why it’s so important to choose a professional who aligns with your goals and core values.
A skilled divorce attorney will guide you through the legal process and help you prepare to give testimony. You might also consult with a witness preparation expert who will focus on the practical aspects of effectively answering questions in court.
With the right legal team on your side, you have the best opportunity to emerge from your divorce feeling whole and ready to embrace the next chapter of your life.
Options to Avoid Court
While most depictions of divorce in movies seem to entail a lengthy and contentious court battle, most couples never reach this stage — largely because they would rather not give a judge the ultimate power to make decisions about their lives.
For some divorcing couples, it’s just not possible to avoid court. Other couples are able to work out the details of their separation alone. If you land somewhere in the middle — you want to avoid court, but you and your partner simply can’t reach an agreement — you can always turn to a mediator.
Whether you bring in personal attorneys or not, a mediator will work to fully understand your situation, take the position of each party into account, and help you work toward mutually beneficial solutions. This process can save time, money, and a lot of stress.
Reassessing Your Romantic Life
One or both parties may be interested in returning to the dating world before the divorce is complete. Although it could be considered infidelity, dating is not likely to impact your legal case as long as you wait until after you file for divorce. It shouldn’t affect considerations like spousal or child support, for example, as these are generally determined by set formulas.
That said, dating could definitely impact the course of your divorce proceedings. You may, for example, hurt and anger your spouse with such actions, potentially creating a contentious situation where none existed before. Or the person you’re dating could influence your decisions, perhaps causing you to make choices that aren’t necessarily in your best interests.
While everyone deserves to find love and happiness, you may want to proceed with caution when it comes to dating during divorce. Make sure you understand the potential pitfalls before you leap back into the dating pool.
Navigating Divorce with Children
Divorce is hard for everyone, but when children are involved, it can be particularly heartbreaking. You naturally want to shield your kids from the emotional stresses of the process, but it can be difficult to cope with your own feelings about sharing custody and losing time with your children, even if you know it’s best for them.
Trying to create agreements for shared physical and legal custody may simply prove too difficult in this emotionally fraught situation, even if you and your spouse are both committed to the best interests of your children. The good news is that there are professionals to help you through the process.
Creating a Custody Agreement
The last thing most couples want is for a judge to decide who should get custody of their children after a divorce. However, that doesn’t mean you and your spouse can reach an agreement on your own. You may need help from an attorney skilled at negotiating such arrangements, a mediator, or both.
Preparing for a Custody Evaluation
In some cases, the court may request a custody evaluation to audit living environments, assess the relative fitness of parents, and determine a custody arrangement that’s best for the health and wellness of children. A professional consultant specializing in custody evaluation prep can help to ensure that you and your children are ready for this stressful undertaking.
Tackling the Challenges of Co-Parenting
Even parents who want the best for their kids may not be able to agree on what that looks like in practical terms.
Once the custody arrangement is determined, you still have to hash out issues like where they’ll attend school, what doctors they’ll see, how their religious instruction will proceed, and even what they will eat or how much time they should spend on social media. A parenting coordination expert can help parents get on the same page.
Protecting Your Health and Well-Being
Reasons for divorce may involve financial difficulties, substance abuse, infidelity, domestic violence, or perhaps simple incompatibility. But no matter the reason, most marriages don’t reach the point of divorce without months or years of strife and unhappiness.
When you’re in the midst of a divorce, it can be all-consuming, occupying your time and your thoughts. It may leave you with little time or energy for self-care, but if you’re physically, mentally, and emotionally drained, you’re neither living your best life nor working toward fulfillment.
What can you do to recharge when you’re overwhelmed by divorce?
Physical Health
A good place to start is by prioritizing your physical health. If you’re relatively healthy, try to incorporate or keep up with diet and exercise habits that support good overall health. If you have existing health concerns, make sure you’re not letting treatment fall by the wayside.
Even carving out the time for a short walk or stretching session each day can make a huge difference in your physical comfort and your mental outlook. Making time for healthy and delicious meals should also become a staple of your daily self-care routine.
Don’t forget to focus on adequate rest. This can be difficult when you’re under intense stress, but finding ways to get restful slumber can improve your physical, mental, and emotional health dramatically.
Mental Wellness
For your mental and emotional health, it’s important to create a safe and comforting environment, whether you’re retaining a residence you once shared with your partner or moving into a new space. Your efforts could be as simple as rearranging the furniture or adding a few meaningful pieces that make your house feel like home.
Although divorce can be demanding, try to make time for the people and things you love, especially family and friends who are kind and supportive. If you’re struggling, don’t hesitate to connect with a mental health professional who can provide guidance to help you through.
Your Trusted Resource for Divorce
When you’re already overwhelmed, searching for attorneys and poring over divorce procedures can feel daunting, to say the least. With DivorcePlus, you’ll find a centralized hub of public resources and professional services that will bring you closer to reaching your goals.
If you’re facing divorce and struggling to figure out where to start, DivorcePlus is here to help with everything you need in one place. Contact us today with any questions.
