{"id":10025,"date":"2019-10-14T06:04:20","date_gmt":"2019-10-14T05:04:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/?p=10025"},"modified":"2023-05-18T16:26:40","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T15:26:40","slug":"before-you-walk-away-with-nothing-in-your-divorce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/before-you-walk-away-with-nothing-in-your-divorce\/","title":{"rendered":"Before you walk away with nothing in your divorce"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.16&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.20.4&#8243; text_font_size=&#8221;16px&#8221; header_text_align=&#8221;justify&#8221; header_text_color=&#8221;#c5b2b1&#8243; header_2_text_align=&#8221;justify&#8221; header_2_text_color=&#8221;#c984a4&#8243; header_3_text_align=&#8221;justify&#8221; header_3_text_color=&#8221;#c5b2b1&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; text_orientation=&#8221;justified&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<h1>Before you walk away with nothing in your divorce<\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you about to walk away with nothing, just to get this hellish chapter of your life done with?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wait. Read this first. Your future self will thank you for it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you don\u2019t have the resources to pay for professional help, divorce is doubly scary. You already feel out of control, manipulated and abused. It already feels like it\u2019s just not fair. And you\u2019re right, it isn\u2019t fair. It stinks. But, just like the mud in that famous children\u2019s bear hunt story, you can\u2019t go over it, you can\u2019t go under it, you have to go through it\u2026 And you can. So, <em>Before you walk away with nothing in your divorce\u00a0<\/em>keep reading with an open mind&#8230;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"the_only_way_is_through\"><\/span>The only way is through<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHow do I tell the court I\u2019m not going to the First Appointment?\u201d Belinda (not her real name) posted in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/the-absolute-academy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Absolute Academy<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI can\u2019t do this, I\u2019d rather walk away with nothing\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps you\u2019ve felt exactly how Belinda feels. Perhaps you\u2019ve had enough of the stress, worry, sleepless nights and feeling like your life is totally dominated by divorce proceedings? You just want it to stop.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I totally get it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The fear of the unknown is always stressful. It\u2019s normal to want to run away.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the reality of court proceedings is this: if you don\u2019t attend they\u2019ll send you another date. They might put a penal notice on that letter and you may face committal to prison. Now, before you panic, that&#8217;s unlikely to happen but do you really want the stress and worry?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s not going to go away easily. You need to get through it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you genuinely cannot attend but feel that in future you could, ask for an adjournment. Give the court and the other side notice to avoid costs. Then use the time to prepare yourself \u2013 emotionally and practically. If you didn\u2019t read my blog about what happens at each appointment with the court, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/financial-remedy-hearings-on-divorce\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you can read it here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"change_your_story\"><\/span>Change your story<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I talk a lot about divorce stories \u2013 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/divorce-what-do-you-really-want\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">check out last week\u2019s blog to read why<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What\u2019s the story you\u2019re telling yourself about not going to court? Last year I worked with Sue (not her real name). Sue contacted me because she\u2019d spent \u00a35K getting to a very straightforward decree nisi and had run out of money. She couldn\u2019t now afford to get the legal help she\u2019d really needed (This is why I always say get savvy before you engage a solicitor!).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sue really did need help with the financial settlement. When we started working together she\u2019d say things like \u201cHe\u2019s so much cleverer than me\u201d or \u201cI\u2019m just a care assistant, I\u2019m not clever enough for this\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I can tell you for sure that Sue was one smart woman &#8211; she just didn\u2019t recognise it in herself and she kept replaying the story that he was clever and she wasn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through our work together Sue stopped playing that record and changed her story. I gave her bite-size actions to do and within a month she\u2019d completed her form E, understood her mortgage borrowing potential, looked for a better paid job and got the house valued. Sue applied for financial remedy herself and with my support drafted her chronology, questionnaire and statement of issues.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do you know what the best thing was? Sue actually started to believe in herself. She saw the truth: she was smarter than she had believed. She understood how s25 related to her situation and she knew the strengths and weaknesses of her own case and that of her husband.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sue represented herself in court. They settled at FDR (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/your-guide-to-legal-jargon-in-divorce-from-a-l\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">definition here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) where the judge commented on how well prepared she was and how well she\u2019d conducted herself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sue did it and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">so can you<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"walking_away_with_nothing_wont_change_anything\"><\/span>Walking away with nothing won\u2019t change anything<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you\u2019re in a high conflict or abusive situation you just want it to stop. Walking away with nothing feels like the perfect solution \u2013 an end to it all, even if you\u2019re poorer as a result. Except it\u2019s not the end.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Money is one way you\u2019re abused but it\u2019s not the only one, is it? Of course, it\u2019s a biggie because money is important to him. But if he\u2019s going to control, he\u2019ll find something else even if he \u2018has all the money\u2019. It\u2019s not about the money and you know this. It\u2019s about the control.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Say you let him \u2018have\u2019 the money. Now you\u2019re still controlled and have even less money than before. How is that going to help you?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"build_your_courage_and_resilience_muscles\"><\/span>Build your courage and resilience muscles<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just like the muscles in our bodies, courage and resilience are muscles that we need to build. We do it step by step.\u00a0 Just like the \u2018Couch to 5K\u2019 running app it\u2019s about going a little further than we have before. Sometimes we have to take action before we feel ready, but in taking that action, the muscle grows. We didn\u2019t believe that we could and then, we\u2019ve done it! It\u2019s less scary each time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"borrowing_self-belief\"><\/span>Borrowing self-belief<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Before you walk away with nothing in your divorce<\/em> build your self-belief. If you need to borrow a bit of belief then do that. You can borrow belief easily. Think of a situation where you do feel confident. Where you know that you are calm, in control and you know what you\u2019re doing. It might take time if you\u2019re really stressed but we have all experienced that sense of everything going well, even if it wasn\u2019t recently. It might have been a presentation at work, a party you organised or a time you helped a friend in need and made a real difference.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bring that time to mind and look deeply &#8211; notice what you were doing, how you were standing or sitting and what you were saying. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Notice how you were feeling. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you\u2019ve remembered this richly, replay it over and over in your mind. Build up that feeling. Notice how you begin to feel exactly how you felt then. You may find it useful to create an \u2018anchor\u2019 to this feeling.\u00a0An anchor is a way for you to recall that feeling by doing a specific movement with your body. It\u2019s a powerful association for your brain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"a_tool_to_support_you\"><\/span>A tool to support you<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We can create anchors in several ways. One of the easiest is to use your finger and thumb. As you create those positive feelings from your happy memory, squeeze your thumb and index finger together. As the memory becomes more alive in your mind squeeze harder, and as the memory ends, let go. Practice doing this several times: relive your memory, press your thumb and finger together as you do so, release as the episode ends.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then forget about it for a while \u2013 make a cup of tea. When you next squeeze your thumb and finger together notice what you notice (your body will flood with all the positive emotions of that memory). If it doesn\u2019t happen straight away go back a step and relive the positive memory more, squeezing your thumb and finger as you go.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have just created a tool to support you when you need instant confidence, courage and calm &#8211; whatever you need is right there for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The more we face our fears, the less influence over us they have. They won\u2019t go away. But we can tame them.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"get_to_the_other_side\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span>Get to the other side<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Going to court isn\u2019t what you\u2019d call a fun day out! Mostly, it\u2019s just long and boring. Often the first reaction is, \u2018is that it?!\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other side, you\u2019ll feel relieved that it\u2019s done. Relieved that you know what\u2019s going to happen next from the court\u2019s point of view. Does it mean he\u2019ll definitely comply with the court directions? No! He may continue to do just as he likes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High conflict personalities always see court directions as optional based on how they feel about them. If he likes them, he\u2019ll comply. If there\u2019s a direction you need to follow he\u2019ll expect, no, demand, that you do. If it\u2019s a direction he disagrees with, he\u2019ll ignore it. Whether or not he has a solicitor. A solicitor who recognises their client is a high conflict personality may understand how they can get their client to comply &#8211; many do not.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recognise that on the other side of that hearing, nothing may change. You might feel it was all a big waste of time. You\u2019ll feel this particularly if you wanted the judge to tell your husband off or call him out for lies he\u2019s told on his Form E. This is unlikely to happen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What you get on the other side of that first hearing is clarity about where your case is going and what you need to do next, even if you don\u2019t like it. Use this clarity to move forward. Be mindful of the directions he needs to comply with but focus mainly on yourself and what you need to do &#8211; you are not in control of what he does and doesn\u2019t do.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"even_if_you_%e2%80%98lose_you_will_%e2%80%98win\"><\/span>Even if you \u2018lose\u2019, you will \u2018win\u2019<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The hard truth is it\u2019s incredibly difficult to challenge non-disclosure, bad behaviour and abuse. Our current system is not designed to deal with it, particularly since the\u00a0withdrawal of legal aid. This doesn\u2019t mean that you should roll over and give in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Part of dealing with what\u2019s happened is calling it out as best you can &#8211; even if it doesn\u2019t change things for you. You might think \u201cwell why bother?\u201d but in most cases, you\u2019ll be glad you did. You\u2019ll have started to reclaim your power and your self-esteem. Does it mean you throw thousands of pounds at a lost cause? No. But to move on, to get on with the rest of your life wholeheartedly, you need to know that you truly stood up for yourself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even if you lose, you win because he didn\u2019t break you after all. This is your time and your story.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want help as you face the court hearings so you go in as strong as possible, I\u2019m here. I can work with you to decide where to put your energy, time and money. I can help you get your head around the legal paperwork. And I can help you unlock the woman you really are \u2013 someone who is not defeated by divorce. Someone who knows there are bright times ahead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just message me to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/contact\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">set up a chat<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/about-me-emma-heptonstall\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Emma Heptonstall,<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0the Divorce Alchemist is author of the Amazon best selling book\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/How-Be-Lady-Who-Leaves\/dp\/1999631501\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>How to be a Lady Who Leaves, the Ultimate Guide to Getting Divorce Ready<\/strong><\/a>. A former lawyer, Emma is a family mediator and founder of Get Divorce Ready the online self-study and group programmes. Emma has been featured on BBC Radio, The Telegraph, the iPaper and in Marie Claire Magazine. To find out more visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>www.emmaheptonstall.com<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Before you walk away with nothing in your divorce &nbsp; Are you about to walk away with nothing, just to get this hellish chapter of your life done with?\u00a0 &nbsp; Wait. Read this first. Your future self will thank you for it.\u00a0 &nbsp; When you don\u2019t have the resources to pay for professional help, divorce [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"<h1>Before you walk away with nothing in your divorce<\/h1><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you about to walk away with nothing, just to get this hellish chapter of your life done with?\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wait. Read this first. Your future self will thank you for it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you don\u2019t have the resources to pay for professional help, divorce is doubly scary. You already feel out of control, manipulated and abused. It already feels like it\u2019s just not fair. And you\u2019re right, it isn\u2019t fair. It stinks. But, just like the mud in that famous children\u2019s bear hunt story, you can\u2019t go over it, you can\u2019t go under it, you have to go through it\u2026 And you can. So, <em>Before you walk away with nothing in your divorce\u00a0<\/em>keep reading with an open mind...<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><h2>The only way is through<\/h2><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHow do I tell the court I\u2019m not going to the First Appointment?\u201d Belinda (not her real name) posted in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/club-d36-the-absolute-academy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Absolute Academy<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI can\u2019t do this, I\u2019d rather walk away with nothing\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps you\u2019ve felt exactly how Belinda feels. Perhaps you\u2019ve had enough of the stress, worry, sleepless nights and feeling like your life is totally dominated by divorce proceedings? You just want it to stop.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I totally get it.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The fear of the unknown is always stressful. It\u2019s normal to want to run away.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the reality of court proceedings is this: if you don\u2019t attend they\u2019ll send you another date. They might put a penal notice on that letter and you may face committal to prison. Now, before you panic, that's unlikely to happen but do you really want the stress and worry?<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s not going to go away easily. You need to get through it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you genuinely cannot attend but feel that in future you could, ask for an adjournment. Give the court and the other side notice to avoid costs. Then use the time to prepare yourself \u2013 emotionally and practically. If you didn\u2019t read my blog about what happens at each appointment with the court, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/financial-remedy-hearings-on-divorce\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you can read it here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><h2>Change your story<\/h2><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I talk a lot about divorce stories \u2013 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/divorce-what-do-you-really-want\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">check out last week\u2019s blog to read why<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What\u2019s the story you\u2019re telling yourself about not going to court? Last year I worked with Sue (not her real name). Sue contacted me because she\u2019d spent \u00a35K getting to a very straightforward decree nisi and had run out of money. She couldn\u2019t now afford to get the legal help she\u2019d really needed (This is why I always say get savvy before you engage a solicitor!).\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sue really did need help with the financial settlement. When we started working together she\u2019d say things like \u201cHe\u2019s so much cleverer than me\u201d or \u201cI\u2019m just a care assistant, I\u2019m not clever enough for this\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I can tell you for sure that Sue was one smart woman - she just didn\u2019t recognise it in herself and she kept replaying the story that he was clever and she wasn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through our work together Sue stopped playing that record and changed her story. I gave her bite-size actions to do and within a month she\u2019d completed her form E, understood her mortgage borrowing potential, looked for a better paid job and got the house valued. Sue applied for financial remedy herself and with my support drafted her chronology, questionnaire and statement of issues.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do you know what the best thing was? Sue actually started to believe in herself. She saw the truth: she was smarter than she had believed. She understood how s25 related to her situation and she knew the strengths and weaknesses of her own case and that of her husband.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sue represented herself in court. They settled at FDR (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/your-guide-to-legal-jargon-in-divorce-from-a-l\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">definition here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) where the judge commented on how well prepared she was and how well she\u2019d conducted herself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sue did it and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">so can you<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><h2>Walking away with nothing won\u2019t change anything<\/h2><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you\u2019re in a high conflict or abusive situation you just want it to stop. Walking away with nothing feels like the perfect solution \u2013 an end to it all, even if you\u2019re poorer as a result. Except it\u2019s not the end.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Money is one way you\u2019re abused but it\u2019s not the only one, is it? Of course, it\u2019s a biggie because money is important to him. But if he\u2019s going to control, he\u2019ll find something else even if he \u2018has all the money\u2019. It\u2019s not about the money and you know this. It\u2019s about the control.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Say you let him \u2018have\u2019 the money. Now you\u2019re still controlled and have even less money than before. How is that going to help you?<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><h2>Build your courage and resilience muscles<\/h2><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just like the muscles in our bodies, courage and resilience are muscles that we need to build. We do it step by step.\u00a0 Just like the \u2018Couch to 5K\u2019 running app it\u2019s about going a little further than we have before. Sometimes we have to take action before we feel ready, but in taking that action, the muscle grows. We didn\u2019t believe that we could and then, we\u2019ve done it! It\u2019s less scary each time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h3>Borrowing self-belief<\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Before you walk away with nothing in your divorce<\/em> build your self-belief. If you need to borrow a bit of belief then do that. You can borrow belief easily. Think of a situation where you do feel confident. Where you know that you are calm, in control and you know what you\u2019re doing. It might take time if you\u2019re really stressed but we have all experienced that sense of everything going well, even if it wasn\u2019t recently. It might have been a presentation at work, a party you organised or a time you helped a friend in need and made a real difference.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bring that time to mind and look deeply - notice what you were doing, how you were standing or sitting and what you were saying. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Notice how you were feeling. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you\u2019ve remembered this richly, replay it over and over in your mind. Build up that feeling. Notice how you begin to feel exactly how you felt then. You may find it useful to create an \u2018anchor\u2019 to this feeling.\u00a0An anchor is a way for you to recall that feeling by doing a specific movement with your body. It\u2019s a powerful association for your brain.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><h3>A tool to support you<\/h3><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We can create anchors in several ways. One of the easiest is to use your finger and thumb. As you create those positive feelings from your happy memory, squeeze your thumb and index finger together. As the memory becomes more alive in your mind squeeze harder, and as the memory ends, let go. Practice doing this several times: relive your memory, press your thumb and finger together as you do so, release as the episode ends.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then forget about it for a while \u2013 make a cup of tea. When you next squeeze your thumb and finger together notice what you notice (your body will flood with all the positive emotions of that memory). If it doesn\u2019t happen straight away go back a step and relive the positive memory more, squeezing your thumb and finger as you go.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You have just created a tool to support you when you need instant confidence, courage and calm - whatever you need is right there for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The more we face our fears, the less influence over us they have. They won\u2019t go away. But we can tame them.<\/span><\/p><h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/><\/span>Get to the other side<\/h2><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Going to court isn\u2019t what you\u2019d call a fun day out! Mostly, it\u2019s just long and boring. Often the first reaction is, \u2018is that it?!\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other side, you\u2019ll feel relieved that it\u2019s done. Relieved that you know what\u2019s going to happen next from the court\u2019s point of view. Does it mean he\u2019ll definitely comply with the court directions? No! He may continue to do just as he likes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High conflict personalities always see court directions as optional based on how they feel about them. If he likes them, he\u2019ll comply. If there\u2019s a direction you need to follow he\u2019ll expect, no, demand, that you do. If it\u2019s a direction he disagrees with, he\u2019ll ignore it. Whether or not he has a solicitor. A solicitor who recognises their client is a high conflict personality may understand how they can get their client to comply - many do not.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recognise that on the other side of that hearing, nothing may change. You might feel it was all a big waste of time. You\u2019ll feel this particularly if you wanted the judge to tell your husband off or call him out for lies he\u2019s told on his Form E. This is unlikely to happen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What you get on the other side of that first hearing is clarity about where your case is going and what you need to do next, even if you don\u2019t like it. Use this clarity to move forward. Be mindful of the directions he needs to comply with but focus mainly on yourself and what you need to do - you are not in control of what he does and doesn\u2019t do.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><h2>Even if you \u2018lose\u2019, you will \u2018win\u2019<\/h2><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The hard truth is it\u2019s incredibly difficult to challenge non-disclosure, bad behaviour and abuse. Our current system is not designed to deal with it, particularly since the\u00a0withdrawal of legal aid. This doesn\u2019t mean that you should roll over and give in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Part of dealing with what\u2019s happened is calling it out as best you can - even if it doesn\u2019t change things for you. You might think \u201cwell why bother?\u201d but in most cases, you\u2019ll be glad you did. You\u2019ll have started to reclaim your power and your self-esteem. Does it mean you throw thousands of pounds at a lost cause? No. But to move on, to get on with the rest of your life wholeheartedly, you need to know that you truly stood up for yourself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even if you lose, you win because he didn\u2019t break you after all. This is your time and your story.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want help as you face the court hearings so you go in as strong as possible, I\u2019m here. I can work with you to decide where to put your energy, time and money. I can help you get your head around the legal paperwork. And I can help you unlock the woman you really are \u2013 someone who is not defeated by divorce. Someone who knows there are bright times ahead.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just message me to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/contact\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">set up a chat<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/about-me-emma-heptonstall\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Emma Heptonstall,<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0the Divorce Alchemist is author of the Amazon best selling book\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/How-Be-Lady-Who-Leaves\/dp\/1999631501\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>How to be a Lady Who Leaves, the Ultimate Guide to Getting Divorce Ready<\/strong><\/a>. A former lawyer, Emma is a family mediator and founder of Get Divorce Ready the online self-study and group programmes. Emma has been featured on BBC Radio, The Telegraph, the iPaper and in Marie Claire Magazine. To find out more visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>www.emmaheptonstall.com<\/strong><\/a><\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-divorce-support","category-i-want-to-leave-my-husband"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Copy-of-EH_BlogImage-5.png?fit=1000%2C516&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6aDhr-2BH","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10025"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10025\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.emmaheptonstall.com\/divorce-coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}