Divorce In The New Year: Give Yourself A Fresh Start

What’s your New Year’s Resolution? More exercise? Quit smoking? The Mediterranean diet?  It seems that January is the time of year we strive to do better, to live better, to be better. But what if “better” for you means more than a new diet or eliminating a bad habit?  What if better means a whole new life? What if better means acknowledging that happiness will always remain elusive unless you turn reality on its head?  What if better means divorce?

Why Divorce? 

The bottom line for those seeking divorce is that they are unhappy.  Period.  But what’s at the root of that unhappiness?  It’s different for everyone:

• Unfaithfulness: Sticking by an unfaithful spouse who’s repeatedly destroyed one’s dignity;
• Financial Strife: Battling over money is a huge stressor on marriage;
• Abuse: Whether physical, mental, or emotional, an abusive spouse in intolerable;
• Poor Communication: It takes two to communicate.  When one spouse refuses to even try, the relationship withers;
• Addiction: Substance abuse, gambling, and more can drive a spouse to ignore the family in lieu of satisfying the addiction;
• Parenting Philosophy: If authoritarianism hits up against open communication, parents may find they can’t meet in the middle;
• Growing Apart: After a lifetime together, the rules have changed and there’s no common focus;
• Problems with extended family: When those mother-in-law jokes are your life’s reality and you can’t escape the butting in that occurs from extended family, you hate not having control of your life;
• Insecurities: When your spouse is so insecure that you feel like your movements are under the microscope all the time, you just want to be able to breathe freely;
• Different Religions: While at first it seemed you could live with someone whose life-view was completely different from your own, that’s proving to be untenable;
• Conflicting goals: One of you wants to start a family, the other wants to travel.  One wants to live in the mountains, the other on the beach.  Goals are simply mismatched.

The Divorce Process in Florida 

If your unhappiness and dissatisfaction have led you to conclude that a divorce is in the cards, here are some options moving forward in the Sunshine State:

• Collaborative Divorce: If an amicable divorce is possible, you may want to pursue a collaborative divorce.  Both of you will need legal representation and will meet in order to negotiate a settlement that is amenable to each of you.
• Mediation: When emotions are raw, but you believe you can work through the details of divorce without having to go through a trial, mediation may be a good option.  Trained mediators work you through the split.
• Court: Both parties retain counsel and attorneys battle it out for a final settlement.

If it’s Time… 

If you know that divorce is the right next step in your life, regardless of the way it all unravels, the experienced Boca Raton divorce lawyers at WiseLieberman are prepared to help.  Contact our office for a confidential consultation today.

Resource:

floridabar.org/public/consumer/pamphlet010/