Sometimes, couples are unhappy because they feel bored in a relationship, or because both partners have lost the physical spark they used to have. At other times, there may be extreme jealousy present in the relationship, or perhaps a severe case of emotional manipulation.
But going through a rough patch is different than being in an unhappy marriage. It's perfectly normal to be unhappy in a relationship from time to time.
If you are unhappy in your relationship, you need to identify the issues that are bothering you, discuss them with your partner, and work together to find solutions. If you feel like you need help, you can seek support from loved ones, or start going to a therapist or couples counselor.
There's a term for this: walkaway wife syndrome. This term is sometimes used to describe instances where a spouse – often the wife – has felt alone, neglected, and resentful in a deteriorating marriage and decides it's time to end it.
Stonewalling is when a person in a relationship withdraws from an interaction, shuts down, and simply stops responding to their partner. Rather than confronting the issue, people who stonewall resort to evasive maneuvers.
Besides no longer getting excited to spend time together, you may find yourself flat-out avoiding your partner. You may stay late at work, see movies or eat dinner by yourself, or even take the long way home to avoid being with your partner for a moment longer than you have to.
You're Unhappy
And if you're staying with someone even though you don't enjoy being with him or her, you don't feel a real connection, and you find yourself actively going out of your way to spend time away from him or her, it's apparent that you're choosing to settle.
They are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, according to Mental-Health-Matters. These are the natural ways for your heart to heal.
Generally speaking, if you're constantly thinking about breaking up with your boyfriend, it's usually a sign that you're not fully happy or satisfied with the relationship.
Overly controlling behavior is a common red flag in relationships. People that try to control your movements, decisions, or beliefs are more concerned about what they want than what is best for you. If a guy or girl tries to control what you wear or where you go, this could be a red flag.
There's No Emotional Connection
One of the key signs your relationship is ending is that you are no longer vulnerable and open with your partner. A cornerstone of happy, healthy relationships is that both partners feel comfortable being truly open to sharing thoughts and opinions with one another.
New research shows that relationships are actually more vulnerable to demise far sooner than the dreaded seven year itch. The most common time for a couple to split is right around the two year mark. By then, you've most likely seen everything about your partner—their best and their worst physically and emotionally.
"The point is there is no rule of thumb on how long you should think about breaking up with someone, because the circumstances on why you need to end a relationship vary from couple to couple. If someone cheated and you can't forgive that, why drag it out, while worrying that it will happen again?
You feel apathetic about your relationship and where it's headed. Unlike the honeymoon phase when enthusiasm is heightened, falling out of love is often marked by a sense of apathy or ambivalence.
You don't like hanging out together anymore.
"You find yourself avoiding them as opposed to prioritizing them, and you don't miss them when you're not together." If you'd rather spend time away from them than with them, it shows that you're happier alone, which isn't what a relationship is about.
Signs you're falling out of love
You're less interested in spending time with them. You feel more comfortable apart than you feel together. You're thinking about them less and less. They start to feel like a burden.
Many have asked, “what are backburner relationships?” Backburner relationships describe partnerships where you maintain communication with someone from your past or an ex should your present relationship not work out. According to psychologists, many of us can't detach from an ex.
Emotional neglect in a relationship or marriage is when a partner or spouse consistently fails to notice, attend to, and respond in a timely manner to a partner or spouse's feelings.
According to couples therapist Dr. John Gottman, the Four Horsemen, behavioral predictors of divorce or break-up, are criticism, defensiveness, contempt, and stonewalling. Their destructive nature earned them the name and reference to christian religion: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
He is manipulative.
Manipulative behavior is a major red flag in men because it implies that they are trying to control you. Manipulation typically involves someone exploiting someone else's feelings or insecurities to get what they want. They might do this by making someone feel guilty or ashamed.
So, what to do when you find that your needs, wants, desires, dreams, or life direction have changed from that of your partner's? The first thing you might want to consider is acknowledging these changes. Failure to be open and honest with your partner may only lead to a breakdown of the relationship.