Writing Exercises for Legal Separation

Living a married life is difficult. From keeping up with your career and work demands to
dealing with woes at home, a troubled marriage will only add fire to one’s misery. As
couples decide to live separately and continue progressing on their own, they can opt to
file a legal separation order that freely allows them to live apart while preserving the
sanctity of marriage.
As words are left unsaid and feelings get hurt, a couple may feel the need to express
their disappointment, hurt and loneliness through written modalities. For this first
exercise, both the couple should participate and truthfully write their thoughts and
emotions in a piece of paper.

Activity 1. Letting “Us” Go

For this activity, both partners should write their thoughts using the writing prompts
below:
 I love it when you ….
 I will miss your ….
 I’m sorry about ….
 If I could turn back time, I would ….

From this writing prompt, allow yourself to remind you of your times of togetherness.
Plus, take the time you need to complete the sentences above. Once you do, keep the
piece of paper tucked or folded until you are ready to give it to your partner.

Activity 2. Seeking Freedom in Free-Writing

It’s easy to throw a fit, rage, cry and shout when experiencing negative emotions
brought by separation. You can either be at the receiving end or the one who initiated
the split but this does not excuse you to feel sad or lonely.
To keep the relationship between you and your partner civil and healthy (for the sake of
the kids and of the marriage), it is best to express unheard thoughts or bottled-up
feelings by letting your mind wander and jotting down what you feel.
It doesn’t have to be of a specific format or it doesn’t have to be formal. You can thread
sentences together and let your feelings guide your write-ups.
The only catch for this activity is you have to let your mind run wild while setting your
timer for 25 minutes. Here’s how to prepare for this activity.
1. Gather all of the items you’ll need for free writing (bottle of water, colorful pens,
tissue paper, and everything you can think of so that you won’t bother leaving
your seat).
2. Set your clock or phone timer for 25 minutes.
3. Once you’re ready to go, scribble to your heart’s content.
4. You have the option to do whatever you see fit for the paper you have written.
You can either frame it, give it to your partner as a parting gift or burn it.

Free-writing is a great writing exercises for individuals who wants to exercise their mind
and express their heavy thoughts and bottled-up feelings.