The breakdown in communication is often a contributing factor in divorce in Alaska. However, even during the divorce process, couples will need to continue communicating as they seek to resolve their divorce issues. Communicating successfully with an ex during divorce often involves breaking patterns of ineffective communication as well as setting clear limits for how, why and when to communicate.
Effective communication
Because communication is important to reach an agreement and finalize the divorce, you will need to focus on how to make communication work. Some of the things you can do to achieve this include:
- Creating limits about how you want to communicate, such as by email, phone or texts
- Establishing the topics you will communicate about and the frequency of the communication
- Keeping a civil, friendly and open tone when communicating with your ex
- Being conscious about your communication and preparing what you want to say ahead of time
Avoiding a communication failure
Your goal is to be able to resolve your issues as a couple and reach a divorce settlement, and effective communication will help you do that. Furthermore, if you are a parent, you do not want to continue having conflicts that get in the way of jointly raising your children. Some of the things to avoid include:
- Focusing communication on negative feelings such as jealousy or revenge
- Repeating destructive patterns of communication
- Focusing on past mistakes
- Attempting to communicate with your ex as if your relationship remains the same
Communicating effectively with your ex might be challenging. In some cases, you might need to do so with the assistance of a professional. However, if you both commit to keeping things civil, your divorce might be easier to handle.