A divorce is likely to have a significant impact on your emotional and financial health. Therefore, it’s important to carefully consider your options prior to filing to dissolve your marriage. If you are a parent of young children, you will likely have to deal with your estranged spouse for many years to come. Therefore, in some cases, divorce may not allow you to escape from problems that you may be attempting to avoid.
Do you still love your spouse?
Ending your marriage may be difficult if you have feelings for your spouse. However, if they disrespect you or your boundaries, the love you have may not be enough to save your relationship. Instead, you’ll have to acknowledge the fact that you’re better off alone even if you may not see the benefits of being single.
Are your threats meant to alarm or intimidate your partner?
It’s generally never a good idea to bring up the possibility of getting a divorce unless you consider ending your marriage to be a viable option. Otherwise, you simply scare or frustrate your spouse to the point where they may simply tune you out. Instead of gaining control over your marriage, making empty threats makes it harder to communicate with your spouse.
Make sure that you’re ready for whatever consequences may come
Going through a divorce can be emotionally draining even if you know that ending your relationship is the right thing to do. It’s not uncommon for people to feel guilt, shame or other negative emotions during the divorce process despite feeling that their marriages aren’t worth saving.
You can avoid a lengthy court battle in many cases. As a general rule, it’s easier, faster and less expensive to opt for mediation. However, it is still possible to negotiate a settlement even after a trial begins.
