When you’re in the middle of a hostile divorce, your ex may begin to hold the divorce against you. He or she may sever communication or refuse to sign the divorce papers. If you cannot get your spouse to agree to the divorce, what can you do? You cannot be trapped in a marriage that you don’t want to be a part of. Here are three tips on how to deal with your ex.
Do Not Feed the Argument
If you ask for a divorce, but your ex refuses, there may be little that you can do to reason with him or her. If he or she tries to argue with you, then you should not feed into it. Do not retaliate because this gives your ex a reason to argue and a reason to stay in contact with you. If you become upset, it reinforces the behavior.
Instead, you need to ignore the arguing. You cannot control your spouse’s behavior but you can control how you react. Sometimes, you have to be the bigger person and not feed into any arguments.
Reach Out to Your Ex
You need to make a solid effort to reach your spouse. If that does not work, you can have someone attempt to serve the divorce papers to your spouse. Once you have done everything possible to try to contact your spouse, you can put a notification in the local newspaper. If you have put forth the effort and your spouse doesn’t show up at the hearing, you can still receive your divorce decree.
Proceed Without Your Ex
If your ex refuses to sign the papers or cooperate with the divorce, you should speak to your divorce lawyer as soon as possible. He or she will help you take all of the proper steps to finalize your divorce. Your spouse cannot prevent the divorce decree. If he or she does not show up at the hearings or refuses to sign the papers, that is not the end of the road.
Contact an Attorney
Do not lose focus of your goals. Try not to let yourself become caught up in the emotional turmoil that he or she wants to put you through. Focus on your side of the divorce, on your children, or on your own self-care. If you have an attorney, like a divorce attorney from Robinson & Hadeed Family Law, it can make all of the difference. He or she can help lead you through the process of the divorce and will explain how you can move on without your spouse.