Holiday Season During Divorce
The holidays are officially here; shopping for presents, overindulging on sweets, and spending time with family. The stress placed upon us during the holiday season between traveling, entertaining guests, and juggling schedules is enough to cause increased tension between family members. Now imagine having to endure the pain of a divorce while trying to spread holiday cheer to your loved ones.
This summer I had the chance to sit down with Dr. Cassandra Friedman, a therapist who helps people going through divorce channel their sadness and anger into something productive, and also focuses on keeping their families as intact as possible. Here are some of her tips for dealing with the stresses of divorce to help you get though the holiday:
Don’t speak negatively about your spouse. It has a huge negative impact on children of all ages. In time they lose respect for the parent that is bashing the other parent.
Surround yourself with positive people, especially supportive family members. Divorce takes a lot of mental and physical energy.
Children hate when parents overly involve them in the specific details of the divorce. They also hate when one parent tries to force a child to take a side and choose one parent over the other.
As much as possible, think positively and remember, “This too shall pass.”
I hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and remember, a new year is right around the corner!
Michael C. Craven is a well-known divorce attorney in Chicago, CPA and a partner of the law firm, Beermann Swerdlove, LLP (Formerly of Beermann, now a Partner at Harrison LLP) located in the Chicago area. He is highly respected among other divorce attorneys, judges and his clients. He also holds a Master of Tax Law Degree (LLM). For more information about his services, contact Michael at mcraven@harrisonheld.com at Divorce Lawyers Chicago.
