A time might come when you and your spouse are having trouble. It’s not that unusual, but we’ve seen more and more of it in the past year. That’s because the pandemic has caused a stress and anxiety level for many people that have torpedoed their relationship or marriage.
If you are in this position, you’ll need to think about what to do. You may feel like divorce is for you, but you’re not one hundred percent sure.
If you’re in this spot, you might look into getting a legal separation instead. Some people don’t know that is an option, so let’s get into some more detail about it now.
What Exactly is a Legal Separation?
If you contact an Arizona divorce lawyer, or if you live in some other state, they can inform you what options you have available to you. They will probably ask you some pointed questions. In essence, they may want to know whether you feel like you and your spouse have genuinely irreconcilable differences.
If you respond that you do, then the lawyer can help you move forward with divorce proceedings. However, maybe you feel like your marriage might still have a chance, but you two need a longer cooling-off period.
If so, your attorney might tell you about legal separations. The term means that you and your spouse formalize a de facto separation from one another, but you are still legally married.
If you do this, then you open the door to a reconciliation somewhere down the line. That could come in a year, or five years, or perhaps never.
Why Should You Do This?
Some people don’t like to think about getting divorced, even if their marriage is definitely on the rocks. They might have different reasons for feeling that way.
Perhaps you are deeply religious, and you think that divorce is wrong. In addition to your attorney, maybe you have a pastor, rabbi, etc., who is telling you to spend some time apart from your spouse before you do anything rash.
There are also usually some tax benefits if you remain married to someone. Financial reasons could lead to you two staying married. You also might do it for the children’s sake. Perhaps you might want to reconcile one day just as much for the kids as for the two of you.
What Are Some Additional Benefits?
Several benefits might result if you go in this direction. For example, you can see what it’s like to be a single parent. Both of you might find it so challenging that you’ll decide to make up once you have gotten a good taste of it.
You might also find that after some time passes, you two may forgive each other for whatever drove you apart. Maybe that was infidelity, or perhaps you argued about money a lot. Many marriages end because of money woes, so this is absolutely possible.
Are There Any Other Reasons to Do This?
Apart from what we already mentioned, you might also decide to try this option because while you are apart, you can date other people. You may fall for someone and decide at that point that your marriage is truly over.
On the other hand, you may try dating other people and feel like the dating scene is the worst. You might encounter nothing but frustration and come to value your former partner so much more because of it.
You could spend the time apart thinking that the other person had some valid complaints about your behavior. Perhaps you’ll take the time to lose weight or attend anger management classes. You could work hard to try and get a promotion at work, or maybe you’ll seek therapy for some longstanding issues.
How Do You Get Back Together?
Depending on what state you’re in, the process of getting back together can be relatively simple or a bit more complex. Your lawyer can come in handy. It might be a matter of simply cohabitating again, or you might have to sign some paperwork to resume the marriage.
Marriages end sometimes, but often, the two people involved can find a way to rediscover each other if they take some time apart. That time might reveal that there’s a second act for you two, or perhaps that you need to call it quits for good.
This is a suitable solution if you’re having problems, but you feel like you might be able to fix them in time.
