When the time came that you realized you could no longer be married to your spouse, it may have hit you like a ton of bricks, or it may have been a calm revelation. Whatever the case, once you understood that your relationship was heading for divorce, you likely wanted to start and get the process over with as quickly as possible.
Of course, divorce is rarely a quick and easy process to complete. Even if you do not have children or a significant amount of assets, you still have a lot of questions to answer and decisions to make. Unfortunately, as much as you may be ready to start your new single life, you and your spouse may have to continue living together for a time.
Living together during a pending divorce
It may seem awkward and odd to continue living together after making the decision to divorce, but it may not be feasible for one or both parties to find different living arrangements right away. As a result, you and your soon-to-be ex-spouse may still need to share the same home for at least a little while longer. How can you make it work?
Fortunately, continuing to live together does not have to be an impossible situation as long as you take the time to set up a healthy routine and boundaries, which can involve the following:
- Setting up boundaries could include sticking to different areas of the house or even agreeing to be at the house at different times as often as possible.
- A routine where one of you handles morning necessities and the other handles evening necessities could help prevent your paths from overlapping too much.
- Create a timeline and plan for when one or both of you will find new living arrangements. If there is no deadline, the awkward living situation could go on too long.
- Create a financial plan that could help you achieve your goals for new living arrangements.
- Find space and time for yourself. You may easily feel smothered or overwhelmed by continuing to live with your ex, but going to a park or other place where you can have alone time may be helpful.
Of course, it is wise to consider how the divorce will affect your future living arrangements. Do you intend to keep the home or sell it? Do you have certain assets you want to keep? Remember that every decision could have financial impacts that affect what you can afford. If you hope to achieve certain outcomes, you may want to come up with a game plan for how to work toward your goals with an Ohio attorney.