Everyone goes into divorce having expectations for their idea of a “perfect” outcome. It’s important that you do manage your expectations, so you are able to work through the divorce without as much stress.
When you start your divorce with an expectation of walking away with everything or a focus on punishing your spouse, you’re setting yourself up for extra, unneeded stress. Here are some things to think about as you pursue your divorce.
You’re living in a community property state
Keep in mind Texas uses a community property system, which means that you and your spouse will need to divide your marital assets equally, barring exceptions. That means that there is no reason to think that you’ll be able to take a much larger portion of assets out of the marriage.
Instead, place your focus on identifying your separate assets and the marital assets that you’d like to keep. Be reasonable, and present the list of assets to your spouse during negotiations. If both of you do this, you may find that only a few assets overlap, so you can cut down on the time needed to negotiate and the risk of a conflict heading to court.
Avoiding power struggles can help you get through your divorce
The first thing to keep in mind is that you need to avoid power struggles to minimize stress during your divorce. Instead of allowing your negotiations to break down into fights or arguments, know when it’s time to step aside and put the conversation on hold.
If you don’t think that you and your spouse can negotiate with one another fairly, put that expectation aside. Consider alternative dispute resolution options or litigating in court instead.
Still stressed? Try these methods to stay calmer
It’s likely that you’ll still run into stressful situations during your divorce. To help yourself get through this, remember to take care of yourself physically and emotionally. Make sure you eat healthily, avoid making major decisions or changes in your plans, and avoid unhealthy coping mechanisms. If the divorce seems overwhelming, talk to your attorney about your options, because they are there to help.