At the beginning of April people started realizing that lockdowns were beginning to effect relationships. And, some experts feared that a divorce tsunami would happen when courts around the country opened back up. Unfortunately, that divorce tsunami may have finally hit.
The toll on couples
Even couples that were fine before lockdowns began were put to the test because they were (and in some cases, still are) getting hit from all sides. There were economic impacts as people were losing their jobs. Daily life immediately and substantially changed, and even for those that did not lose their job, they had to navigate working from home or working under now-dangerous, deadly, conditions. For spouses with kids, they had to now navigate this landscape, while navigating parenting and teaching at the same time. This, in turn, has put this weight and tress squarely on couples, and some, have not dealt well with them.
The tsunami
According to a legal document provider, they saw a 34% increase over the summer for divorce agreement requests over the same time last year. Divorce rates have always been uncomfortably high in the U.S., but this was a 34% jump over prior years. Anecdotally, some law firms have claimed a 70% increase in contacts from clients seeking divorce or information on divorce.
Make the decision to divorce
Of course, we can tie these increases to these lockdowns, and their accompanying work changes, health concerns and isolation. But, when one chooses divorce, they are adding a new stressor, the divorce itself.
This is why one considering divorce should consult with a Farmington Hills, Michigan, divorce attorney, and maybe even a family therapist, before making their decision final. The attorney and therapist can help one or a couple explore options to figure out if divorce is truly what they both desire.
If that is the best decision though, the divorce attorney can then walk one through the process of an amicable dissolution. One does not want to navigate this new stressor alone.
