Get Mad in Child Custody…but Don’t Stay Mad

Anger is inevitable, especially in #ChildCustody and #CoParenting. Relevant research shows that completely avoiding negative emotions in life is practically impossible. The important distinction, though, is how long we stay in a negative emotional state and what we do with the energy that comes from that state.

Anger can actually be valuable. It’s much better than apathy. At least your brain is letting you know that something is wrong. Apathy is much more insidious because the lack of any strong emotional reaction to a situation provides no guidance at all and can give the impression that the Other Side has your tacit permission to behave and operate in a certain way. To summarize, anger helps do something rather than nothing. It takes us from 0 to 1, so to speak.

Now, if we’re mad enough that “doing nothing” is not an option, we have used anger for as much good as it’s worth. We now have to make decisions about the best thing to do. Choosing which course of action to take should not be done from a place of anger. This is when the counsel of family, friends, pastors or maybe even a #ChildCustody lawyer can help identify and clarify your goals for yourself and your family and lay out a logical, practical course of action.

So, the next time a situation makes you angry, don’t decide “what” to do, just decide that “I’m going to do something.” That’s anger well spent.