Does Divorce Have To Be Stressful? 4 Strategies For Navigating It In Peace

Let’s be honest: divorce has a pretty well-deserved reputation for being stressful, continually ranking highly on lists of life’s most stressful events.

In fact, this reputation is so entrenched that many people automatically assume that divorce and stress go hand in hand, like a horse and carriage, like love and…, well, you get the idea.

But does that necessarily have to be the case? Just because divorce can be stressful, it doesn’t mean that it has to. While there are situations that are high-conflict and thus more problematic, a fair percentage of divorce cases can be relatively stress-free with the right strategies. 

If you’re going through a divorce, then the following strategies should help you to navigate it more calmly.

Understand That It Has An End Point

There are elements of going through a divorce that are stressful, but those elements become much easier to manage when you realize that they won’t last forever. In the case of mediated divorces, the actual divorce process could be over in a matter of weeks or months.  Knowing that there’s a clear endpoint in sight makes it easier to take the stressful aspects in your stride.

Focus On Cooperation

Many couples end up making the divorce more stressful than it needs to be due to one common — and avoidable — error: they both hire their own attorneys, which actually ends up creating more conflict and stress. While there are some instances in which having your own attorney is best, if things are generally amicable, then attorney mediation is usually recommended. Plus, not only does this approach lead to a less stressful divorce process, but it’s also a lot more cost- and time-efficient. It’s a recommended way for everyone to move on as quickly and painlessly as possible. 

Invest In Your Support Structure

It would be wrong to say that you can eliminate stress entirely. Divorce will prompt thoughts and feelings even if it’s a mutual decision that everyone knows is the right thing to do.

That’s why it’s important to lean on your support network before you’re hit with a bolt of stress. Having people that can help you with the slightly more complicated aspects of divorce, such as the financial aspects or figuring out where you’ll move to, can be worth their weight in gold. 

Practice the Good Habits 

We’ve already established that some stress is inevitable when you’re going through divorce. But how much is partly within your control. You can shift yourself to a calmer, stress-free space by practicing the habits that experts say can help to keep stress levels to a minimum.

For example, there can be a world of difference between someone who drinks alcohol, sleeps poorly, and fails to look after themselves, versus someone who meditates, prioritizes sleep, works out, and essentially accepts that they’re going through a tough period and need to look after themselves. It won’t remove the stress, but it can very much help to keep it in check — and that can be enough until the storm has passed.