Stress Awareness Month has been recognized every April to bring attention to the negative impact of stress and help individuals manage stress with useful tools. Knowing how to manage stress can improve mental and physical well-being as well as minimize exacerbation of health-related issues.
Learning to cope with stress during a divorce and finding healthy ways to deal with a separation can go a long way in living a healthy life. Sara Horowitz PA takes a client-centered approach to family law. We recognize legal issues involving your family can be emotional and stressful, which is why we will work closely with you through every stage of your case to provide you with compassionate and reliable representation.
Collaborative divorce offers couples the ability to reach amicable agreements through constructive negotiations and save time and money as a result. Despite both parties agreeing to work together, it is still important that any divorcing couple each find legal representation so that their best interests remain protected.
Divorce stress can be intense. In this issue of Horowitz Highlights, we offer useful and proven methods that can help ease stress in a divorce.
- Lean on Others: Have a support system. Good friends and family, along with lawyers and mental health professionals, will want to help — consider letting them. When divorce is stressful, know who you can turn to when you need a shoulder to lean on or an ear you can trust. Some people can benefit from attending therapy during a divorce, and others may feel better relying on their family or friends.
- Creative Outlets: You nourish your emotional side by spending time engaging in projects you enjoy. Music, movies, meditation, crafting, painting, reading, journaling and volunteering can help maintain clarity and focus on the good things in life. Hobbies are a wonderful avenue to express yourself and focus on something besides your divorce. A hobby may even help you meet new people and build your self-confidence as you let go of the stress of divorce.
- Physical Activity: Stay as active as possible by keeping a regular exercise routine. Physical activity can help stabilize your emotions since it aids in relieving tension, anger and anxiety. Exercise – walking, running, swimming, dancing, tennis, aerobics, sports, yoga, pilates – can reduce levels of the body’s stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol.
- Focus on the Future: As a collaboratively trained divorce lawyer, I help clients focus on finding a win-win solution. There is a cooperative way of negotiating and getting divorced, and it usually involves embracing a new tomorrow while avoiding a could’ve, would’ve, should’ve mentality. Holding on to anger and letting it drive your choices in divorce can end up being more toxic for you than it will ever be for your ex.
- Try a Modern Legal Approach: I sometimes hear separated couples are falling deeper into conflict. Collaborative law might be the right antidote to manage the chaos, animosity and come up with mutually agreeable solutions that steer clear of the court system. Choosing an agreement-focused process like collaborative divorce is beneficial because it allows both parties to have their voices heard and work towards a respectful settlement that meets most of their needs. Collaborative law involves the use of lawyers, mental health professionals and financial experts who are trained to help couples reach an amicable agreement without prolonging the conflict further.
How do you experience stress? What situations exacerbate your stress? Sara Horowitz PA clients frequently describe their experience working with me as “efficient,” “painless,” and “smooth.” Click here to view our testimonials, and if you are looking for a less stressful path to divorce, contact me today at 954-300-1602 or fill out this form!
