When facing divorce, the fear and stress of ending a marriage and caring for the children can be all-consuming. It’s easy to let other things in your life suffer as you navigate this challenging phase of life. Many people make the mistake of letting things slip at work and their career suffers as a result. Whether you’re an employee or an employer, here are some steps you can take to protect your future:
Care for Yourself
Juggling work and home is a challenge even if you have a happy personal life. When you’re going through a divorce, your stress level is even higher than usual. Getting sick won’t help matters. Your physical well-being directly impacts your ability to handle stress at home and at the office so caring for your body is crucial to achieving your professional and personal goals.
Time is tight with juggling work, home, and legal proceedings on top of everything else. Here are a few simple ways to keep yourself going:
- Eating out? Make healthy choices. Eating in? Don’t keep junk food in the house. If it’s not available, it can’t be consumed in a moment of weakness. If you need a treat, get a single serving.
- Get to bed as early as possible. If stress is keeping you awake, talk to the doctor about safe options to sleep while navigating this stressful time.
- Stress management. Take a few minutes at the beginning and end of each day to breathe. Download a relaxation app for your phone. Five or ten minutes in the morning will help create the right frame of mind to face the day. Repeat it again when you get in bed and it can improve your sleep. During the day, you can sneak another five or ten minutes during a break to re-boot.
- Talk to someone. Do NOT talk to someone at work. Creating drama at work will make things worse and more stressful. Your employer’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP), your health insurance or a community family service organization are good places to start looking. Having a professional to talk to will help you manage your stress level, stay focused at work, and keep you from venting to co-workers and friends.
Be Proactive
Talk to your boss right away. This is not a time to vent or unload. Keep it short and sweet and reassuring. Let them know that you’re going through a divorce and you may need time for court dates and legal meetings. Reassure them that you don’t anticipate any work-related issues and reaffirm your dedication to your job.
Don’t bad-mouth your spouse. If they are volatile and reach out to people at work, better to be viewed as taking the high ground so you’re the victim of someone else’s drama rather than being the perpetrator of the drama.
If there are child care challenges, have a clear plan of what you need. If you need to leave 15 minutes early for school pick up, request a temporary modification to your schedule until you can work out a better arrangement. It’s better to discuss it upfront rather than your boss noticing that you have an attendance issue.
Compartmentalize Your Life
Keep your personal life separate from work. It’s challenging to stay focused on work when things are stressful in your personal life. Re-frame work as your escape from the stress of the divorce proceedings. It’s essential not to let performance slip. Staying on track is essential to securing future financial stability for you and your children.
Divorce proceedings don’t last forever. Performance problems at work could interfere with your ability to move forward in your career once the dust has settled. When you get to the other side of this, having an intact career will help you and your family move forward.
If you’re facing a divorce, you need to assemble a strong legal team. The compassionate attorneys at Boyd Law Los Angeles have the expertise and resources to deftly navigate the most complex divorces to reach the best possible outcome for you and your children.
