Taking care of your mental health during a divorce process is an often overlooked step, so you’re already doing well by thinking about it early on. And what I always recommend to friends is that they seek out therapy and support groups. Just being around people who are willing to hear your side of the story and who have gone through a similar situation in the past can be incredibly reassuring.

Just make sure you’re not venting on a public forum like social media, at least not while the divorce is still going. Public rants might reach your former partner, and antagonizing the other side never makes things easier.

Meeting with relevant lawyers can also be useful since lawyers can help you put away your Hollywood view of what a divorce is and tell you what the process is going to be like. So talk to a divorce lawyer, or look up “best child custody lawyer near me” and set up a meeting. A site like https://www.kasparlugay.com/child-custody-attorney/ is a good place to start looking as well.

The stress of a divorce is often much less than you think and it can certainly be much less than living the rest of your life in an unhappy or possibly unsafe marital situation. In some cases, divorce can actually be the stepping stone to a much happier life.

The key thing to remember if you move forward with a divorce is to make sure you have a strong support network. Do what you can to make sure your work situation is stable, you have friends to talk to and you take care of your basics like eating, exercise, etc. Know that it will be stressful at times and “embrace the suck”, but keep in mind, that it is only temporary.

Talk to a good divorce attorney as well. Know your rights going into the process. I found some extremely helpful information about my divorce on my divorce attorney’s site.

I hope this helps.