Getting Prepared When Divorce is Your New Year’s Resolution

As 2024 approaches, you’ve probably spent lots of time thinking about your resolutions and goals. For many people, having divorce as a New Year’s resolution might sound strange—but anyone who’s been trapped in a bad marriage and made it out to the other side understands. If this is the year that you want to start living for yourself and recovering from an unhealthy marriage, start planning now. Preparing ahead of time can get you ready to hit the ground running when 2024 comes.

Looking for help with your divorce? The Manassas divorce attorneys at Olmstead & Olmstead are here for you. Call us at 703-260-8752 to set up a time to talk.

Gather Necessary Documentation

Divorce requires an enormous amount of paperwork and documentation. The more prepared you are during your initial consultation, the more personalized advice and guidance you can get. Unwinding the finances of people who have intermingled their debts and assets is tricky work, and it’s crucial to give your attorney a clear picture of what your circumstances are. Some of the information you may find helpful to have on hand includes:

• Tax returns, bank statements, retirement account statements, and property deeds

• Information on any debt you’ve taken on together or separately

• Your prenuptial or postnuptial agreement, if applicable
• Your personal paperwork, such as your Social Security card, birth certificate, and marriage certificate—while these aren’t necessarily part of your divorce, you do want to keep them safe in case your spouse attempts to withhold them

Start Thinking About the Practicalities

Moving on from a marriage takes a lot of work, and you should start thinking about what your plans are for your life afterwards. You may want to start by thinking about your marital home. Whether you rent or own, you’ll need to decide who stays in the marital home and who moves out. If neither party wants the marital home, you’ll need to sell or break your lease. You may also want to think about the logistics of childcare, your financial situation, and meeting your other obligations.

While you do want to think about this topic to some degree, don’t get too tangled up in it. If you get too bogged down in the details, you’ll overwhelm yourself and struggle to take the big steps in this process.

Take Some Time to Calm Your Emotions

Whether you’ve decided to move forward with divorce after one big incident or a slow buildup of issues, it’s a decision guaranteed to cause you pain and anxiety. Before you decide to tell your spouse or make any big decisions about how you want to navigate the divorce, give yourself time to reach a place of calm. Major life decisions deserve to be guided by your logic, not your feelings. This is especially beneficial if you and your spouse share children; staying calm throughout this process can allow you to protect the coparenting relationship and your children’s feelings.

Consider Your Support System

No matter how ready you are for a fresh start, divorce is painful and emotionally draining. Having a strong support system in place makes a huge difference in your healing process. As you get ready to move forward and file, know who you can lean on and who will be there on the nights you need a good cry or vent session. If you have any close friends who have gone through divorce or an ugly child custody battle, their experience and expertise can be incredibly helpful. It’s often enough just to see that life does eventually get back to normal.

Meet With an Attorney

Your next step should be meeting with a Manassas divorce attorney. Your lawyer is a source of objective advice and guidance during one of the most challenging times in your life. Regardless of how you want to approach the divorce, it is always wise to have an attorney informing you of your options, their potential outcomes, and what you should expect.

Preparing for Divorce? Call Olmstead & Olmstead Today

If divorce is on the table, make sure you have the legal support you need. We’re here to help you get started. Call us at 703-260-8752 or reach out online to set up a consultation now.