Coping With Separation and Divorce at the Workplace
Divorce is tough on all, whether you want it or not. And staying alert and focused at work during these dark days is even more difficult. Nevertheless, your decision to untie the knot doesn’t have to make your life miserable. Below, there are a few tips on how to get through your break-up without losing a sense of normalcy both at home and at work.
How to Handle Divorce at Workplace
For the days, when going to the office feels like a challenge, here are a few effective ways to handle life at work:
Tell your employer about your life event
Your employer should be aware of what you are currently going through. Getting through divorce is a very hard, yet emotionally draining process that is going to change your life forever and therefore you have every right to expect your boss to help you somehow, but for this to happen, you shouldn’t keep your break-up a secret.
The main idea behind having a conversation with your employer is not to tell him or her juicy details about your split but to inform your boss about the hard time you are currently going through and ask for some schedule flexibility. You will need more time off work to meet your spouse and attorney and show up at the court-house.
If you are going to tell your colleagues about you dealing with divorce, that’s great! But make sure to talk to your boss first. This is how you can avoid any awkward moments at your workplace.
Take a few days off
While working through divorce think about getting a few vacation days. This is how you can refocus and unburden yourself. Since divorce is usually associated with great sadness, take some time to grieve. Even if you need two or three weeks off work, get them to get back on track faster.
You need this time to come to terms with your present and make some plans for your future. Be ready that you will need a few days off work to just sit and think about many things that are currently happening in your life without getting interrupted with emails or phone calls from work. Spending some time alone may be the best way to get over a divorce in Colorado.
Make that free time all about yourself – blow off some steam, accept your emotions, and find effective ways to deal with them. Instead of going to work, go for a walk, land a local gym, and do anything else that can make you feel good. Even though staying positive during divorce seems impossible for you, drinking and using drugs is a dubious way of lifting your spirits, remember this.
Sometimes, it is impossible to just take a few days off work for many reasons, and rightly so. So, in this case, ask your boss to let you work from home. Working remotely is much better than staying at the office and watching your colleagues bombarding you with annoying questions all the time.
Focus on work if you can
As soon as things calm down a bit, come back to your office and use your work to distract yourself from what you are currently going through. Believe it or not, your career is the main, if not the only, thing that you can take full control of today. So, use it for coping with divorce faster.
Of course, you may be just not that type of person who can focus on work when it seems like your whole life is falling apart. In this case, treat your work as something that can help you get back to normal life. Spending time at the office can give you an impression like nothing has changed. Focusing on this feeling may remind you that you are still important to others, even if not to your ex.
How to Deal with Separation and Keep Your Sanity
Separation is associated with many financial issues. Resolving the latter ones, while dealing with the emotional stress of untying the knot, is probably too much for you to take on. When your whole life seems like changing forever, it may be hard for you to keep yourself from going crazy.
When coping with separation and divorce, it is crucial to add more self-care to your daily routine: try to eat more healthy food (avoid visiting fast-food restaurants for lunch), go to a local gym before or after work, take a walk before going to bed, and so forth. These small habits will help you keep your stress levels down.
Avoid calling your attorney or your ex during the workday whatever it costs. Also, don’t bring up your separation with your co-workers frequently. Treat your office as a place where you can take a break from your “life event”. So, make sure you keep your dealing with marriage separation under wrap. This is how you can protect your emotional health, preserve your professionalism and, as a result, even grow professionally.
Also, don’t neglect to connect with your family and best friends. They can provide the needed support during these hard times. Call them or ask for dinner if you feel like you need someone to lean on; however, make sure that it is not too much for them, too.
If none of the mentioned marital separation tips helps you, then think about getting professional assistance. Mental health professionals teach people how to overcome separation without drinking or doing drugs. Consult one to get some useful information on the issue and ask for some sound advice. Don’t neglect to get the needed help and you will see that things are not as bad as you see them.
Make it a point to make your health a priority. This will help you move on with your life without reaching for the bottle or the needle. If you value your health, your actions will be aimed at maintaining both your mental and physical wellbeing, your decisions will be more balanced, and your life will be getting better day by day.
Authors Bio
Greg Semmit has years of experience working with different types of legal documents and writing about Family Law for educational purposes. Currently, he is working at OnlineDivorcer company, where he writing blog articles about divorce and divorce cases. In his free time, he likes roaming the streets of New York with his Olympus taking photos of the best spots in the city.
