The one change that stopped my divorce paperwork panic attacks

I was spiraling every time I opened the folder with the separation agreement. My lawyer kept saying to just read it, but I couldn't focus. So I started doing 10 minutes of box breathing before touching any docs. First week felt fake, but after 2 weeks I could actually get through a whole page without my heart racing. It sounds dumb but it's the only thing that got me through the financial disclosure forms. Has anyone else found a weird mental trick that helped them cope with the legal stuff?

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wendy_lee483mo ago

Box breathing worked for me too when I was dealing with my own legal mess. It gets your brain out of panic mode so you can actually read the words. Stick with it, it's not dumb if it keeps you from spiraling.

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morgan.jason3mo ago

Yeah, exactly. It's just a tool to hit pause.

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tessap733mo ago

My therapist actually had me try the 4-7-8 breathing thing during mediation prep. Inhale for 4, hold for 7, out for 8. Works better for me when I'm about to lose it in a meeting lol.

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