During the divorce process, you may struggle to communicate with your spouse. Feelings of anger, disappointment, frustration and sadness may cloud any conversations you do have and even make it harder to move forward with divorce proceedings while representing your interests.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2021 in the U.S., 689,308 couples divorced or annulled their marriages, and many had similar struggles. To improve communication between you and your spouse during divorce proceedings, the following tips may help.
Avoid speaking when angry
When you feel angry or upset, it can be difficult to work through issues rationally. Instead of going into conversations already upset, take a minute to compose yourself or reschedule the conversation for a later date when you have time to calm down.
Set specific boundaries
Determine when, where and how you will communicate with your spouse during divorce proceedings. For example, you may want to set up weekly telephone calls to talk about your coparenting plan prior to finalizing your divorce.
Refrain from engaging in unnecessary contact
During your marriage, your spouse was likely the person you spoke to the most on a regular basis, and it can be difficult to completely withdraw communication during the divorce process. To reduce contention, however, it may be worthwhile to limit or avoid any unnecessary contact during your divorce.
You likely want to finalize your divorce and move on from this process as quickly as possible. Working on your communication during the divorce process can help you keep conversations moving and prevent unnecessary arguments.