5 Early Signs Your Relationship Is Falling Apart

As social beings, we are always looking to form bonds and relationships with people who we believe will help us accomplish our goals and objectives. The nature of the relationships that you form can be heavy indicatives of how you are as a person, and where you will go in life. For example, people who form deep and strong relationships can be described as trusting and loyal. Additionally, surrounding yourself with smart, creative, and positive people will definitely lead to you achieving more in life. As such, people tend to be very careful when choosing who their closest circle of friends will be. And even more when deciding who they form a romantic relationship with.

The impact that a romantic relationship has on one’s life is huge, mainly because of the amount of effort and time that people invest in this specific relationship. Because of this, when it comes to romantic relationships, people are much more willing to make changes and adapt to make it work. The thing is, how can you make changes or decisions when you don’t even notice specific things happening? Believe it or not, a lot of people tend to miss signs that the relationship is not going as well as they think. As a result of this, they either don’t have enough time to react and make changes to make the relationship work, or they don’t have enough time to decide whether investing time and effort in the relationship is worth it. This article will be focusing on 5 early signs your relationship is falling apart.

There is a lack of intimacy

Have you recently felt that there is a lack of physical affection between you and your romantic partner? The lack of intimacy or touch is one of the first signs that your relationship is falling apart (Afont, 2020). Intimacy is one of the main distinctions between a romantic couple and very good friends. It represents special acts of togetherness and connection that you would not have with anyone else. Of course, you should consider the circumstances surrounding your situation since there are chances that your partner is not being intimate with you for a specific reason. However, if you notice a constant lack of intimacy and touching, then your relationship is most likely falling apart.

You don’t have common interests anymore

How many of the activities that you do with your partner do you truly enjoy? Having mutual interests is very important for relationships to deepen and sustain themselves. This is the reason why having common interests when meeting someone for the first time is such a deciding factor for choosing to become partners. However, if you find yourself not having any common interest with your partner anymore, you will start to get bored of your partner and your relationship will fall apart (Blake, 2020). This happens very often, believe it or not, but it does not mean that there is nothing to be done about it. If you are willing to make the relationship work, try putting your partner’s interests before yours as a way to show them that you are willing to put the effort (Afont, 2020). Just make sure that your partner is willing to do this as well, otherwise, you’ll probably end up doing what your partner wants to do without receiving reciprocation.

You don’t communicate anymore

Do you believe in perfect relationships? There probably isn’t a single perfect relationship in the whole world. After all, humans are flawed beings that make mistakes and learn from them. However, there are relationships that could be argued to be close to perfect, or rather, much more functional and stimulating that others. And a lot of it comes down to how well you communicate with your partner. Communication is a fundamental part of every healthy relationship as it serves as a tool to solve any conflicts and arguments, as well as deciding how you and your partner will spend their lives together in harmony (Steber, 2016). It is a tool that allows for improvement, adaptation, and evolution to take place. So, if you notice that there is a constant lack of communication, either you and/or your partner believe that the other will be able to know things telepathically (which is completely unrealistic), or things are simply not working, and the relationship is falling apart.

Your self-esteem feels affected

Do you feel like your partner tends to knock you down rather than lifting you up? This can be a very telling sign that your relationship is falling apart. This behaviour can be seen more often than you think, where partners knock each other down because they are jealous, or fear abandonment (Steber, 2016). Your partner is supposed to be someone who supports you and your dreams and lifts you up when you are feeling down. They are supposed to help you be confident and trust your own abilities. Yes, there will be times when they criticise you for something you actually deserve to be criticised for. But, in the endif you notice that they are constantly dragging you down and attacking your self-esteem, then it might be time to re-think your relationship.

There is a sense of apathy

Do you feel like you or your partner just don’t care anymore? If you feel there is a sense of apathy in the relationship, there is a good chance that your relationship is falling apart. Many might define hate as the opposite of love, but there is a good argument to be made that the opposite of love is actually apathy. According to Gal Szekely, MA, MFT, if you prefer to label something that your partner did as unimportant when you were expecting, wanting, or needing, it just shows your disengagement from the relationship and vice versa (Steber, 2016). Some people might disguise this as being flexible and understanding of your partner. But, deep inside, you can feel the difference between being disengaged from the relationship and being understanding and flexible with your partner.

If you can relate to any of the points that I have addressed in the article, then it is up to you to decide whether you put in the effort and time to fix your relationships’ problems or break up and move on. Of course, always remember to consider your partner’s and your own circumstances and if you decide to make things work, remember that it has to be a team effort and not a one-sided resolution.

References

Afont, M. (2020). 5 Signs Your Relationship Is Falling Apart and How to Save It – Or Leave It. Retrieved 20 January 2021, from https://www.marriage.com/advice/relationship/signs-your-relationship-is-falling-apart-and-how-to-save-it/

Blake, J. (2020). 14 Signs Your Relationship Is Starting To Fall Apart. Retrieved 20 January 2021, from https://www.bolde.com/14-signs-relationship-starting-fall-apart/

Steber, C. (2016). 11 Signs Your Relationship Is Falling Apart. Retrieved 20 January 2021, from https://www.bustle.com/articles/164703-11-signs-your-relationship-might-be-falling-apart-its-time-to-move-on