Your Conduct During the Divorce

Here are some good rules to follow during divorce:

• Do try to maintain good communication with your spouse and children.
• Do talk to your lawyer before agreeing to a settlement.
• Don't physically or verbally abuse your spouse or children.
• Don't say anything to others that you wouldn't want your spouse or the judge to hear.
• Don't go on a spending spree. Excessive spending on yourself or others may harm your case.
• Don't throw away financial records or other possible evidence.
• Don't try to hide evidence or assets.
• Do keep your perspective and try to be rational.

Divorce is stressful, but not the end of the world. How you or your spouse feels during your divorce can change dramatically as the case progresses. It's normal to go through stages of denial, anger, guilt, depression and acceptance on the way to a resolution. These stages don't necessarily occur in any order or only once. So, if you're depressed, for example, you can take some comfort in knowing that you'll probably feel different next week.