The COVID-19 crisis has had a huge impact on all of our lives. Even if you haven’t been directly affected by an infection, you’ve probably had to deal with inconveniences due to being required to stay at home or maintain social distancing. In the worst cases, people have lost their jobs, been unable to make rent or mortgage payments, or suffered devastating losses due to the illness or death of family members. Along with all of these other concerns, many people’s marriages have been pushed to the breaking point or beyond due to the stresses and difficulties they are experiencing. If you’re considering getting divorced, you may need to deal with some issues and concerns that you wouldn’t have to address in other circumstances. During the divorce process, you’ll want to keep the following in mind:

1. Figure out how to separate while sharing a home - Moving out of your home and finding new living arrangements might be difficult right now. Due to concerns about infections, you may not want to visit potential new houses or apartments, or you may simply be unable to afford to move because of your financial situation. However, sharing a home with your spouse might seem impossible when your relationship has broken down. You may want to agree that each of you will mostly stay in your own separate areas of your house, and you could create schedules for when each of you will use shared areas such as the kitchen or family room. By figuring out how to make things work while you continue to live together, you can avoid conflicts and arguments and decrease stress during an already difficult time.

2. Determine court procedures - Currently, many courts have closed or are operating at limited capacity to avoid spreading infections. However, courts will typically be able to address emergency issues, such as domestic violence or orders of protection, if the need arises. As you proceed with the divorce process, you’ll need to understand how procedures might have changed. In some cases, courts might hold virtual hearings, allowing you to address matters without actually entering the courtroom. Your divorce lawyer can help you understand what steps you’ll need to take as you go through the divorce process.

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Everyone handles their divorce differently — maybe you’re grieving with the help of a large bag of potato chips or with a few beers and some friends. Getting through a divorce can be especially difficult for men, as they tend to avoid discussing emotions or seeking help from others. This is especially true in the midst of a pandemic when hanging out with friends or going to a bar are no longer on the table. Not all guys are going to be open to getting in touch with their feelings, so it can be hard to find other outlets for staying healthy, both mentally and physically. Though COVID-19 may be limiting your ability to spend time with family and friends, there are other ways you can come out on the other side of your divorce happy and healthy.

Avoid Overindulging

This is a challenge for everyone at the moment, whether single, married, or in the middle of a divorce. Now that “going to work” consists of sitting in your home with your laptop and a pair of sweatpants, it’s easy to allow yourself to indulge a little too much. Easily accessible snacks, sugary drinks, and alcoholic beverages after work can quickly become your go-to. There’s nothing wrong with allowing yourself to take advantage of these unique circumstances and enjoy yourself, but you may not notice how much is being added to your waistline before it’s too late.

Consistency is Key

The term “consistency” can seem impossible in the middle of a global pandemic. This is especially true if your “normal” has been completely turned upside down due to your divorce. You’ll need to create your new normal in both your professional and your personal life. Try settling on a schedule that you can follow on a daily basis for the next few months. Whether this involves a workout in the morning or time set aside for new hobbies, having a schedule can help you feel more in control and less concerned with the minor details of your daily life.

Many parts of society have been put on hold temporarily in response to COVID-19 and its rapid spread throughout the world. However, marital issues are not something that many couples are able to simply pause. If your marriage has broken down, and you’re thinking of getting a divorce, you aren’t going to want to wait for the country to open back up before moving forward with your case. Fortunately, attorneys in all areas of practice, including divorce lawyers, have been deemed essential workers, allowing them to remain active and assist clients with the divorce process during the pandemic.

In order to provide services safely, many law firms are offering digital services to meet their clients’ needs. In the area of family law, this includes meetings with soon-to-be divorcees over the phone or by video chat. For many law firms that offer divorce mediation, spouses may speak with their third-party mediator through digital means.

What Are the Benefits of Mediation?

Depending on your relationship with your spouse and the level of conflict between the two of you, divorce mediation can be one of the best ways to resolve disputes and reach a divorce settlement. Mediation offers an alternative to divorce litigation, and it can allow you to avoid the time and expense involved in resolving matters in the courtroom. 

If you’re considering divorce or are planning to end your marriage, you may need to prepare for the possibility that you will have to pay financial support to your spouse. On the other hand, you may be able to receive this type of support if you earn a lower income than your spouse. These payments may be referred to as alimony, spousal maintenance, or spousal support, and they are usually paid by a spouse who earns a significantly higher income than their former partner. Understanding whether spousal support will play a role in your divorce can help you make sure you will have the financial resources you need as you move on to the next stage of your life.

How Is Alimony Determined?

The purpose of spousal support is to make sure that once a divorce is complete, both spouses will be able to continue living at the standard they were used to during their marriage. In some cases, each spouse will be able to support themselves on their own income, and alimony won’t be necessary. However, if one spouse earned the majority of the family's income, or if one spouse is a stay-at-home parent, spousal maintenance may be awarded to ensure that the lower-earning spouse can meet their needs.

The spouse who expects to receive alimony will usually need to make the case that these types of payments are needed. Depending on the laws in your state, a judge may look at different factors to decide whether to award spousal support. They may consider each spouse’s ability to earn an income and support themselves, whether one spouse remained out of the workforce or gave up career opportunities so they could take care of family responsibilities, whether one spouse helped the other further their education or career, and the amount of time a spouse may need to obtain education or training, seek employment, and become self-supporting.

The coronavirus pandemic has affected many families’ lives, and it looks like it will continue to do so as parents and children begin to go back to school in the fall. In some cases, the adjustments families have made as children have stayed home from school and parents have worked from home or suffered job losses have thrown the usual rules and routines into chaos. Because of this, maintaining consistency when it comes to discipline has been a concern for many parents. 

Divorced dads sometimes struggle to  figure out how to handle discipline of their children and maintain a balance between work, life, and parenting, and this was true even before the COVID-19 crisis became a factor. Adjusting to living in two homes can be difficult for children, and even when dads do their best to stay consistent, children can act out or push their boundaries. The additional stresses and anxieties that children are currently experiencing can make these issues even worse. Being cooped up at home and unable to spend time with friends and extended family members is likely to lead to increased behavioral issues for children, and dads will want to understand how they can provide the appropriate level of discipline while working to meet their kids’ needs.

Here are a few tips for you can discipline your children effectively while addressing concerns related to the pandemic: