Are You Staying Married for the Wrong Reasons?

It can be admirable to stick with your marriage when it is going through a rough patch. However, there comes a point when you must question whether you are committed to your marriage or avoiding divorce. Remaining in a bad marriage is unhealthy for yourself and everyone else involved. You are causing yourself to feel stress and delaying a divorce that may eventually make you happier. Because it can be difficult to determine when you are better off getting a divorce, here are four questions you can ask yourself:

1. Are You Trying to Improve Your Marriage?: Saving a broken marriage requires changing how you treat and communicate with each other. However, some couples resign themselves to staying the same. If you are unwilling or unable to make an effort to change yourselves, avoiding divorce will do nothing to improve your marriage. Instead, you are trapping yourselves in an unhappy and unhealthy situation.
2. Is Fear of Being Alone Holding You Back?: Making a dramatic life change such as divorce is understandably frightening. You are unsure of what your life will be like after divorce and whether you will find the happiness you are missing. There is some comfort in having a spouse, even if you no longer like each other. However, divorce gives you the possibility of finding someone new to spend your life with. Being alone in the short term can also help you learn what you want in life.
3. Are You Avoiding the Financial Consequences of Divorce?: You will lose some of your marital assets during your divorce as part of the division of property. It may be difficult to maintain your marital lifestyle with fewer assets and possible monetary obligations to your former spouse and your children. However, the duration of your marriage increases the cost of your divorce. You will have more marital properties to divide, and your spousal maintenance obligation will last longer. If divorce is unavoidable, you may be better off by not waiting.
4. Are Your Children the Only Reason You Are Still Married?: Children are often the most difficult consideration when deciding whether to divorce. Your divorce will hurt them, disrupt their lives and change how they view you. However, you must also weigh how your marriage is affecting them. Watching your unhealthy relationship can be more damaging than experiencing a divorce. Freeing yourself from your marriage may allow you to devote more time to being a good parent.

Making a Choice

You should seriously consider the positives and negatives of getting a divorce before you decide. A Kane County divorce attorney at Geneva Family Lawyers can explain what to expect from the divorce process. Schedule a free consultation by calling 331-588-6611.

Source:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shift-mind/201701/the-wrong-reason-staying-married