Sometimes it is best to avoid interacting with certain friends, loved ones and acquaintances during particularly sensitive times. Even individuals who care about you very much may do more harm in a particular situation than good. For example, if you have a severe migraine headache and cannot handle loud noises, it is probably not a good idea to invite over your sister-in-law who laughs more loudly than a fog horn blare blasts.
Similarly, it is best to avoid certain friends, loved ones and influences during your most vulnerable moments in the wake of your divorce. Leaning on these people and influences during peak moments of vulnerability can compromise your divorce settlement, imperil your child custody case or negatively affect your ability to move forward in healthy ways.
For example, you may want to avoid going out with anyone who pressures you to drink heavily while socializing. When you are particularly vulnerable, it is important to keep your mind as clear as possible. If your loved ones are pressuring you to get sloppy drunk, you may make decisions while drunk that could result in truly negative consequences.
In addition, you may want to avoid going out with individuals who insist that you need to engage in serious “retail therapy.” While a bit of shopping may be comforting, spending significant money on non-essentials is generally not a wise decision during divorce. Until your divorce is finalized, you will likely be shopping with money that is considered marital property. Reckless spending with marital income could land you in hot water with the court and could impact your budget moving forward.
Source: The Huffington Post, “Frenemies With Benefits: 6 Things That Are Great for You During Your Divorce…Until They’re Not,” Christina Pesoli, March 11, 2015