Post-divorce life is going to be different. How different depends on your individual circumstances. If you have children, for instance, it’s going to be a lot more complex than if you do not.
Regardless of what it looks like, though, you don’t want to make any mistakes that make things more difficult. Here are 10 to avoid:
- Going out of your way to act spitefully toward your ex
- Starting a new relationship too quickly
- Pressuring your kids to side with you or with your ex
- Mourning the end of the marriage for too long and not moving forward with your life
- Making rash decisions to deal with stress, like spending too much money
- Talking about your divorce online and oversharing on social media
- Making your friends take sides, as the two of you probably had mutual friends
- Keeping all of your feelings bottled up and refusing to talk about it
- Blaming yourself for the end of the marriage
- Making every little thing a battle with your ex just for the sake of it, not because those things matter to you
This last one is very important because it’s a natural instinct for many people. If your ex wants an extra day with the kids, you want to say no even though there’s no reason. If your ex wants to come to the house to get something they own, you want to make it as hard as possible. It’s a result of feeling frustrated or angry with that person, but it just makes your life far harder.
As you move through divorce and into this post-divorce world, be sure you’re well aware of your rights.