Divorce in the Face of COVID-19

The Way you Live TODAY is the Way you Live your LIFE: Divorce in the Age of COVID-19

If I hear the phrase “that these are precedented times,” one more time I swear I may scream. The phrase is ubiquitous. However, newsflash- we as Americans have never lived in this “unprecedented” world for generations. In our new reality, basic things like celebrating birthdays and holidays together, walking through Whole Foods mask free, and hugging our friends to greet them in public are no-no’s. Dr. Anthony Fauci is not trying to strip us of our joy, but he is a serious reminder to ensure that following the COVID rules might result in us sticking around long enough to enjoy the things in life that make it worth living.

The pandemic is lasting longer than anyone imagined. Everyone feels more COVID- fatigued in general, employees report burnout at work, anonymous folks admit to news media that they are shamelessly day drinking and feel annoyed with the fact that we are sheltered in place without an expiration date.  We have lost jobs, apartments, companies, neighborhood restaurants and what we perceive as “freedom.” This puts everyone on edge.  Do you remember what a live concert was like or the sound of a baseball crowd? In the headlines of the never-ending zombie apocalypse with numbers on daily COVID deaths, ICU beds at capacity, and distribution issues with vaccinations, the grim and gloomy may sometimes prevail.

The divorce rates in America and world-wide have increased during COVID. In helping folks out there to analyze whether this is a simple fatigue that you can bounce back from or more dire, as I come from a background as a divorce lawyer in Texas, I would encourage you to answer these questions to assess the impact COVID has had on your marriage dynamics:

1.      Are you and your spouse feeling not just confined but also TRAPPED?

2.      Has the lack of privacy revealed marital infidelity that has been an ongoing issue?

3.      Have you or your spouse noticed a personal uptick in drinking or use of illegal drugs?

4.      Are you and your spouse engaging in elevated arguments that may lead to physical altercations?

5.      Do you fantasize of a world where you could travel for business and afford the luxuries of sheer privacy and allure of visiting different places?

6.      Has COVID put a magnifying glass on the flaws and fractures that existed long ago prior to the pandemic?

7.      Has the unprecedented “COVID – 15” (pound gain) like the “Freshman 15” weighing you down in the bedroom?

8.      Is your formerly traveling spouse is now home, and crimping your style as you share non-traditional gender roles such as homeschooling the kids online, cooking, cleaning and grocery shopping?

In a world where we could never dream that there would be an insurrection on the US Capitol during the certification for US President Joe Biden, we are watching the history that we will one day tell our grandchildren about the disruption in 2020 seeping into 2021 from COVID-19. If you are weathering this storm, more power to you. Please forward me your secrets to life. Nevertheless, if you are suffering in silence through the daily questions of whether your marriage is deteriorating or may need to transition for the best interests of children and sanity, you are not alone. However, if the Way you live your life Today is not acceptable, and you want OUT, your can make a choice in the Way you live your Life in the future.