No matter the side of the coin you find yourself, strong feelings and emotions are unavoidable while divorcing. At times, you will experience feeling not yourself, unsteady, and angry (among other strong feelings!) as you navigate toward the beautiful life that is ahead for you on the other side of divorce. This is all part of the grief process, and you will do well to recognize it and harness it for good, rather than ignore it and let it fester.
Your experienced family law attorney will support, protect, and shepherd you through the legal process, advocating for your goals and legal interests. And, while paralegals and other staff members will also support you and your case immeasurably, remember that you have engaged your attorney to be your Knight—not your mother, best friend, or therapist.
(Please) Get a Therapist
It is important that you look outside of your attorney’s office to secure the emotional support you need. You may be thinking, “I have all the best friends, family members, and coworkers anyone could ask for—they have my back.” But, not so fast! Let your friends and family continue to be your source of happiness, lightheartedness, and simple distraction.
You need a relationship with a licensed mental health professional who can help you deal with the emotions of your unique situation. If you do not have a therapist, your family law attorney will be able to connect you with a therapist experienced in working with divorcing clients.
Support for Disbelief, Sadness
Ending a relationship of any kind will bring sadness and grief; it can be extreme and debilitating when it is the end of a marriage. If you suspect you a suffering from depression, know that you are not alone. Seeking support with a licensed mental health professional to talk through your divorce can be helpful.
Disbelief is common at times during the divorce process, too, particularly if you do not want to divorce. Denial is part of “the grief process,” but the grief process is not linear. Even when you think you have accepted one fact or circumstance, you may be blindsided by denial about another. It is messy, to say the very least. Talking through these moments of disbelief with a professional can help calm your nerves or bring you clarity, which will allow you and your family law attorney to focus on the legal work required to get you safely to the other side of your divorce.
Anger
Anger is a healthy emotion for many people going through divorce. It can propel you through some otherwise pretty awful circumstances. So long as you are not a harm to yourself or others, you can use anger to your advantage, but that is often easier said
than done. Meeting with a therapist to discuss these difficult feelings and how to transform them into opportunities will be helpful to you, not only during your divorce case, but once your matter has been resolved.
Ahhh, Acceptance
In many cases, by the time a divorce matter has concluded, clients are ready to pop champagne and throw a party. But it takes time and hard work—both legal work and work on yourself—to get there. From our combined many decades of experience, we can assure you that acceptance does eventually arrive, and it feels really good when it does.
At Lazar Law, we want you to feel empowered about the changes you are making for yourself and your family, and we will work to ensure you have the support you need to get through this process with dignity.
Call to schedule with the experienced family law attorneys at Lazar Law to discuss your divorce matter and how we may help you through your divorce and on to a brighter life on the other side of it.
