There is no question that divorces are emotional. Many times, people who are ending their relationships are upset or angry that their issues had to come to this. One spouse may be caught off-guard by the other’s request to separate and divorce, or they both may be frustrated and have trouble communicating.
When you’re divorcing, something to do is to remember to take the practical approach to your divorce. While your marriage is ending and that is emotional, the divorce itself should be viewed as a kind of business arrangement. You are ending your partnership, and as such, you need to separate assets shared between you.
Why keeping emotion out of divorce helps
Removing your emotions from divorce will help you make better decisions. For example, if you are upset by your spouse making an offer for $200 of alimony a month when you need $400 of support, you may completely dismiss the offer without considering negotiating or thinking about their position. If you approach it more like a business deal, you might suggest that the $200 is fine if you can keep a larger share of the proceeds from your home’s sale, for example.
When you’re emotional during a divorce, the chances are that you’ll make snap decisions that aren’t necessarily in your best interests. It’s easy to become angry or moved by something someone else offers. It’s necessary for you to think about the offers that are made and to be reasonable without involving your personal feelings about the other person.
If you get too emotionally involved in the divorce process, you may make the mistake of trying to take everything from your spouse or being unreasonable when focusing on a settlement. If you are overly emotional and refuse to negotiate, for example, then your spouse may end up taking the case to court. There, they may show a judge that you weren’t being reasonable, and that may not make you look good in the eyes of the court.
Being reasonable, respectful and balanced during your divorce is the key to negotiating an agreement you’re happy with or taking a solid case to court. Keep that in mind, so you can think about what’s best for you in these circumstances.