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Are you thinking of separating from your spouse? Some helpful information

Fri, 07 Feb 2020 16:15:48 GMT

As a psychologist and family mediator, I work with many clients who are either anticipating or actually going through the separation process. Although there is less of a social stigma attached to divorce now, compared to even twenty years ago, most separating parents still agonize over the decision, particularly with respect to how that outcome will impact them and their children financially and emotionally.

These concerns are understandable, as adjustments need to be made post-separation.

The reasons for the breakdown of the marriage differ from couple to couple. In turn, how parents handle the separation and their own emotions about it has a direct impact on how the children will adjust too.

Suggestions/options:

Get legal advice.

Get independent legal advice prior to and during the separation process. If you make less than $50,000 per year you may be eligible for a few hours of independent legal advice or legal representation. Call Legal Aid Ontario and see if you are eligible for a Legal Aid Certificate. If you both make less than $50,000 per year you may both qualify for legal aid. Some lawyers accept legal aid. Otherwise, if you are paying privately, call a few family lawyers and see who may be the right fit for you.

Consider family mediation or collaborative family law as options for addressing separation issues, including financial and custody/access issues. These options can minimize the possibility of escalating conflict and reduce the likelihood of entering the adversarial Court system which can be costly, prolong the process, and result in other people (judges) making decisions for you and your children with which you may not agree.

Find support.

Make sure you are leaning on family, friends, neighbours who can support you through the process both practically speaking and emotionally. Monitor and manage your anger, sadness, anxiety, and fears to ensure that they are not spilling over into your work life, social life and children.

Take care of yourself.

It is easy to neglect yourself with the added demands of being a single parent. Ensure that you are getting good sleep, eating well, exercising, and socializing regularly to manage your stress.

If you are overwhelmed and feel that you are not coping well, go talk to your doctor and/or seek the services of a psychologist, social worker, psychiatrist or other regulated health provider with experience dealing with effects of separation.

You may experience intense anxiety and, at times, catastrophic or negative thoughts/fears about your future (“what ifs….”). Focus on one day and one week at a time. Remind yourself that what you may fear may happen in future (three months or a year from now) may or may not happen. Therefore, put the thought aside. If it happens, you’ll deal with it then. If it doesn’t happen, you didn’t put your energy into worrying about it needlessly.

Focus

Focus your energies on what you can control and let go of what you cannot or may not be able to control

Keep in touch with site visitors and boost loyalty

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Fri, 07 Feb 2020 15:58:13 GMT

There are so many good reasons to communicate with site visitors. Tell them about sales and new products or update them with tips and information.

Here are some reasons to make blogging part of your regular routine.

Blogging is an easy way to engage with site visitors

Writing a blog post is easy once you get the hang of it. Posts don’t need to be long or complicated. Just write about what you know, and do your best to write well.

Show customers your personality

When you write a blog post, you can really let your personality shine through. This can be a great tool for showing your distinct personality.

Blogging is a terrific form of communication

Blogs are a great communication tool. They tend to be longer than social media posts, which gives you plenty of space for sharing insights, handy tips and more.

It’s a great way to support and boost SEO

Search engines like sites that regularly post fresh content, and a blog is a great way of doing this. With relevant metadata for every post so search engines can find your content.

Drive traffic to your site

Every time you add a new post, people who have subscribed to it will have a reason to come back to your site. If the post is a good read, they’ll share it with others, bringing even more traffic!

Blogging is free

Maintaining a blog on your site is absolutely free. You can hire bloggers if you like or assign regularly blogging tasks to everyone in your company.

A natural way to build your brand

A blog is a wonderful way to build your brand’s distinct voice. Write about issues that are related to your industry and your customers.

Tips for writing great posts that increase your site traffic

website@sitemodify.com (Website Editor) — Fri, 07 Feb 2020 15:58:13 GMT

Write about something you know. If you don’t know much about a specific topic that will interest your readers, invite an expert to write about it.

Speak to your audience

You know your audience better than anyone else, so keep them in mind as you write your blog posts. Write about things they care about. If you have a company Facebook page, look here to find topics to write about

Take a few moments to plan your post

Once you have a great idea for a post, write the first draft. Some people like to start with the title and then work on the paragraphs. Other people like to start with subtitles and go from there. Choose the method that works for you.

Don’t forget to add images

Be sure to include a few high-quality images in your blog. Images break up the text and make it more readable. They can also convey emotions or ideas that are hard to put into words.

Edit carefully before posting

Once you’re happy with the text, put it aside for a day or two, and then re-read it. You’ll probably find a few things you want to add, and a couple more that you want to remove. Have a friend or colleague look it over to make sure there are no mistakes. When your post is error-free, set it up in your blog and publish.