Last week, we discussed how letting emotions dominate the divorce mediation process can create even more challenges for couples seeking a divorce. It is critical for individuals to find ways to manage these emotions throughout their divorce proceedings to avoid these challenges. Here are a few practical tips to help divorcing spouses handle their emotions.
Improving emotional intelligence is essential
As we discussed in the last post, emotions truly are an important part of the mediation process. They can only jeopardize the process when individuals allow negative emotions like anger and resentment to cloud their judgment and impact the negotiations.
That is why individuals must understand their emotions first, so they can manage them better. For instance, an article published in the International Comparative Jurisprudence in 2016 reported how important it is for individuals to develop emotional intelligence during mediation to help them be productive and efficient.
How can you do that?
There are a few ways that individuals can build up their emotional intelligence to help them through mediation. It is helpful to:
- Acknowledge the emotions: Accepting the existence of the emotions is the first step to managing them. When individuals identify what they feel, they can better take action to confront that feeling.
- Talk to someone: Talking about emotions can help reduce one’s stress as well as the power their emotions have over them. It is often beneficial to obtain an outside perspective of emotions as well.
- Assess how you feel before each session: Recognizing one’s emotions is one thing, but individuals must also take time to work through them. It is helpful to spend some time alone before each scheduled mediation session. Then individuals can evaluate how they feel, set unhelpful emotions aside and mentally prepare themselves for the negotiations.
These steps can allow individuals to put their emotions to work for them instead of against them during the mediation process.
Always consider the big picture
Usually, most of these emotions are temporary reactions to the changes a divorce brings. Acting on emotions now can create considerable challenges in the future.
Individuals pursuing a divorce in North Carolina should keep their future in mind at every step of the mediation process. After all, they are establishing terms of the next chapter of their life. Consulting with an attorney about your best interests for the future can help you set your current emotions aside and negotiate effectively to protect your future after divorce.