There’s no roadmap when it comes to life, so you’re generally forced to watch for signs along your path that help you make good decisions. However, the signs that should be guiding you aren’t always 100% obvious — particularly in matters of the heart.
Could all the signs around you be saying that your marriage is over? If you’re trying to puzzle out what step to take next on the path, here are the indicators that divorce is probably the route to go:
- Do you sit down together every day? Whether you share coffee at breakfast or have a nightly snack together, that communal time maintains your connections.
- You’d be gone if you didn’t have kids. If the kids are the glue in your marriage, that’s really a business partnership, not a romance.
- Your spouse has an addiction. If your spouse won’t get help or has tried and failed several times, you have to decide where to draw the line and protect yourself from further harm.
- You’re no longer intimate. Unless medical issues are causing sexual dysfunction, a lack of intimacy is a huge red flag.
- You’re increasingly distant. If you don’t even bother checking in with your spouse when you make plans with friends or to travel, you’ve already emotionally removed yourself from the union.
- There’s a lack of respect. When you or your spouse start making “jokes” at the other’s expense, constantly resort to sarcasm, belittle each other or mock each other in public, that’s a sign that you just don’t even like each other very much.
- You’re unhappy and don’t want to go home. Your home should be your refuge from the world. If you’d rather be anywhere but home, your marriage is damaging your emotional health.
A single one of these signs probably is an issue that you can work out — but most of these signs tend to come in a cluster. If you’re ready to find a path that will take you to a happier future, it may be time to consider a divorce.
