Tension and stress debilitate the body. While there are some stresses that are part and parcel with everyday living, it is in a person’s best interest to reduce the amount of any extra stress they take on. Failure to do so risks a person’s physical, mental and emotional states — which may lead to slips in judgment, communication and action.
During a divorce, those slips can create chaos and misunderstanding between two spouses. As WebMD points out, stress-related ailments and complaints accounts for over 75% of doctors visits. Exacerbating the stress of a normal, adult life with a stressful divorce stacks on a person and may adversely affect their future.
Identifying the effects of stress
WebMD defines two types of stress: eustress and distress. Distress is the sort of negative impact that a nasty and disorganized divorce may produce. Distress leads to overworked thoughts and weary bodies. Symptoms of distress can include elevated blood pressure, chest pains and trouble sleeping. These symptoms can play a part in other problems like chronic headaches and anxiety. All these issues make the legal process of separation that much worse to work through.
Avoiding stress with collaboration
Much as one spouse may dislike the other in a divorce, the tools for cooperation and negotiation still exist. A collaborative divorce attempts to settle disputes with out-of-court methods. As Florida statute states: “The collaborative law process…preserves a working relationship between the parties and reduces the emotional and financial toll of litigation.”
Divorce puts stress on every party involved, but it does not have to create problems that lead to health risks and poor management of the process. Setting aside the time to settle things out-of-court may lead to a smoother transition that keeps everyone’s stress levels lower.
