Even if they have no personal experience with it, most Houston residents probably know that divorce is a stressful process. Divorce consistently ranks as one of the most stressful events in life, much like the loss of a spouse or close relative.
Divorce can evoke strong emotions of fear, even when the alternative to divorce is something awful like having to live with abuse or domestic violence.
One divorce expert gave her opinion on what contributes to this fear in an online psychology magazine:
- Parents with children and who are involved in a divorce will worry about their children’s futures as well as their overall health and well-being because of the divorce. They may also have significant concerns about their relationship with their children. These worries children arise even when the couple’s children are grown.
- A contentious divorce can also lead to fears about not being able to see one’s children as often as they like or that the other parent will not raise the children properly and protect them. They may also worry that the other parent will turn the children against them.
- Especially since it involves a division of property and income, divorce creates a great deal of financial insecurity. The process itself is expensive, and people often leave a divorce without half of their wealth and also have one less person to earn income or offset household expenses.
- If the divorce is especially contentious, the thought of ongoing conflict can be scary.
- As with any court case, the process of going through a divorce can be scary, especially when it might involve testifying under oath about very private matters while being questioned by your spouse’s attorney.
- There are lot of other fears associated with divorce, like fear of not being able to move forward or fear of the loss of other relationships. There is also grief associated with the loss of the relationship and one’s current way of life. Fear of change and the uncertainty that comes with change is common.
Knowing one’s rights and legal options can lift some of the emotional weight
There is no way to make a divorce stress-less. However, knowing one’s rights and legal options during a Texas divorce can go a long way toward relieving some of the most common fears associated with marital dissolution.