Let's face it. When it comes to break-ups, things are rarely smooth sailing (If your break ups always end on good terms, please leave now, and let the rest of us wallow in our issues). Most of the time, there are little red flags that we think about after the fact. Hindsight is 20/20, amirite? Anyway, if you're looking for signs that your relationship should come to an end, look no further. Here are some of the most common signs:
1. You start "tolerating" their bad habits.
You're relatively happy right now. Okay, maybe not happy, but you're content with the status of your relationship. Things could be better, and they could be worse. You've started to accept that they aren't going to text you when they go out with their friends. You've come to terms with the fact that they're stubborn and never see things your way. You can't teach an old dog new tricks, so you don't really need to change anything right now.
2. You start to fight. A lot.
I'm not talking about significant issues, but minor problems. Believe it or not, when people want to leave a comfortable relationship, they start to find problems that make the other person less appealing or start to subconsciously push them away. Everything they do irritates you, maybe your ego is just a little too inflated and you're not going to apologize first. Maybe your standards for what you want them to become are too unrealistic. Either way, the internal and external combativeness grows.
3. You start to daydream about leaving.
When sh*t hits the fan, you start to imagine what it'd be like on your own. You start wondering why you put up with this for so long. Sometimes, you think about what a permanent end to the relationship would be like, and it doesn't hurt. It actually feels kind of relieving. Maybe you write a pros and cons list. The cons are starting to slowly make the pros less apparent.
4. Break time.
This is the stage in which one of you decides it's time to take a break. Maybe you two don't even officially pause your relationship, but you start to practice being alone. You spend less time together. Even if you are together, one or both of you isn't really present. You start to channel your energy into different activities or hobbies. You focus is less on the relationship and more on different aspects of life.
5. You start to realize you might want to break up.
But what do you know? It's probably just a rough patch. There are different responses to this warning sign. You can either freak out about it and drown in this indecisiveness. Or you can try to mend the relationship.
6. You start to read these kinds of articles.
You start to look for answers from other places. You start asking questions you already know the answers to. You're stuck between dragging it out or cutting the ties. Here's the thing, though: this article isn't going to decide for you. If you think it's time to break up, you might just be right, but only you know for sure.
