Awareness During Divorce

Becoming self-aware is part of becoming conscious of our role in everything that we do. It can be used interchangeably with the word "mindful." So often, we experience feelings of anger, doubt or frustration without acknowledging our part in causing this discomfort. At least part of the time, many of us live in a state in which we are unable to connect the dots concerning our emotional state and feel confused. Once we become aware of the part that we play in chaotic situations, we can better decide how to move forward in a healthy way. 

Divorce Coach and Writer Karen McMahon describes this as having an "awareness of choice." She explains that it's not about always knowing how to act in the moment, but knowing that you have freedom to choose to participate or not is enough. "The practice of mindfulness is simply being aware in every moment of how we are showing up and then choosing to change our behavior if it does not honor how we want to be." 

Divorced or separated parents often run into situations in which they must decide how to handle a disagreement or other conflict they are presented with. In this situation, it can be hard to get past your emotions to peacefully negotiate an agreement. Keep in mind that you can decide how to let your emotions participate in the way you make decisions. It can even help you to open you mind to new perspectives and ways to negotiate resolutions, giving both you and the other parent a better chance of reaching an agreement that works for both of you. Check out this article for more information and tips from Karen McMahon about tapping into your sense of awareness.


Part of being aware of your emotions involves understanding what might trigger you to become emotional in the first place. Using tools designed to facilitate co-parent communication, such as those within the OurFamilyWizard® website, can help you by anticipating points of conflict and provide a constructive way of getting you through them. The toolset is equipped with tools that prompt parents to share only the important details concerning things like parenting time exchanges and reimbursement requests. As a result, parents are better able to get around pointless arguments and conflicts that come from ambiguity or miscommunication. Click here to learn more.