It is critical to know the signs of distress in a relationship while separating. Even if it is a time for reflection and healing, there are signs that could signal problems much deeper than just the heartbreak and loss themselves, which can threaten your chance of a reunion. We have pulled together nine bad signs during separation that affect specific areas related to marriage.
9 Bad Signs During Separation to Watch For
Checked Out Behavior
Checked-out behavior is an obvious sign that a partner has emotionally left the relationship. In various forms, it looks like avoidance of conversations or events that used to mean something to both people in the relationship. Lack of sincere communication, a sense of apathy from one partner or constant preoccupation with distractions such as work or social media is major emotional distancing. As a result, both partners detach from each other, and since growing such distance leaves them with no communication over time to keep the bond strong, this can lead to feeling lonely or resenting one another, which makes it ultimately hard for either of them to reconnect again.
Lack of Emotional Connection
A missing emotional bond is one of the most common bad signs during separation. The person whom one should be closest to may instead seem like being isolated on an island, leading to feelings of loneliness and creating a painful emotional chasm to cross. That lack of bonding leads to misunderstandings and a sense that neither partner knows the other at all. If there is an underlying belief that one cannot talk to the other about emotions or support each other emotionally, this indicates issues deeper than the surface level.
Communication Issues
Many troubled relationships start to have problems because of bad communication. In an imperfect relationship, a separation can bring too many misunderstandings, aggression, and the avoidance of subjects that need nothing but your full attention! If arguments often arise from discussions, or if one partner does not feel heard, this is an indication that healthy communication is no longer present. If you both want to work things out, communication is key—it works wonders for conflict resolution and intimacy building.
Over-avoidance and tiptoeing around the issue
Another big red flag is feeling like you have to walk on eggshells around your partner. Such behavior reflects a desire to avoid the other person’s bad reaction or arguing about an issue, which creates an oppressive space in such relationships. Brushing things under the carpet or avoiding conflict creates more emotional distance and bitterness. Such action speaks to a lack of trust and safety needed for dialogue and vulnerability.
Diminished Physical Intimacy
The absence of physical intimacy is another clear bad sign during separation. The disappearance of affection—be it less physical interaction, no longer making love, or even something as simple as holding hands—is usually an outward sign of bigger emotional rifts. Because of the importance that physical touch has to emotional closeness, a missing link here can lead to increased isolation and relationship dissatisfaction.
Fantasizing About Others
If you are fantasizing about others during a separation, it may be because of then unhappiness of one or both parties. This conduct can arise as a result of needs or wants not being met in the marriage, driving individuals to look for someone else outside their partnership. These fantasies can actually exacerbate, add emotions, and highlight issues that you need to address before you are ever going to be able to reconcile successfully.
Future Planning Discrepancies
Research shows that conflicting visions for the future are one signal of incompatibility. If one partner has a future in mind that differs greatly (and I mean greatly—like children, career paths, lifestyle choices, etc.), it means core values and priorities are misaligned. That divide can lead to friction and a question mark over whether there will ever be a future in the relationship.
Loss of Trust
The loss of trust is probably the most destructive indication of a separation. Trust issues can arise from previous experiences of betrayal, lack of openness and transparency, or due to current unresolved disputes. Once trust is gone, many partners struggle to have an open dialogue or feel safe, making restoring intimacy and connection difficult.
External Factors Keeping Them Together
Lastly, if partners stay together for outside reasons—such as children or the financial convenience of living together—it usually disguises more fundamental problems within the union as soon as these reasons can offer a sense of safety. However, they don’t cope with the underlying emotional disconnections that must be resolved for a wholesome relationship. People become restless in relationships that rely upon external factors, lacking connection and fulfillment.
Final Thoughts on Bad Signs During Separation
Recognizing these bad signs during separation can help the couple realize what their relationship really is and either reconcile or separate for good. Dealing with these problems head-on can create an opening for healing and possible reconciliation if the partners are motivated to talk and then recreate a bond with each other.
Check these positive signs during separation, there is always hope. Also, follow on Facebook to receive more reconciliation guides.
Sources:
- practicalintimacy.com/no-emotional-intimacy-in-marriage
- mooditude.app/post/5-signs-your-relationship-lacks-emotional-intimacy-and-coping-strategies
Images are from pixabay.com
SmartDivorceNetwork.com Thanks to all our contributors; Independent Writers, Journalists and Guest Gloggers for helping the site to became better with good an engaging content and for keeping our readers up to date with the most recent information about divorce.
