It's not breaking news that you can just tell when your relationship is going downhill. Whether it's a mood change, a lack of wanting to be around each other, or a blatant fight, the signs are everywhere.
I sent out a survey asking guys to confess when they realized their relationship was bound to fail. Not necessarily a time stamp in the relationship duration where they realized this, but a realization that was prompted by something happening.
This is what they had to say.
1. The little things
"When she stopped smiling in our pictures."
2. Pretty obvious
"When she told me she wanted to break up with me."
3. Friends come first
"She made every excuse under the sun for not being able to be around when my friends were around and refused to meet my family, even after we'd been a thing for almost six months. Whenever I finally asked her about it, she changed the subject and adamantly refused to talk about it. So, I told her if she didn't want to meet my family yet, that was one thing. But if I had to choose between her or my friends, my friends win every time. So, we broke up."
4. Might want a restraining order
"When she broke into my home and I was woken up to her crying and yelling at me."
5. Red flags
"Talking to my partner started to fill me with dread and anxiety, texting was always just a series of miscommunications and fights and we only ever got along in person. There were so many flags that we were incompatible that I ignored throughout the relationship that all coalesced into a massive weight on my chest. Complaining to a close friend and hearing their advice was what finally tipped me off that waiting for things to change was going to get me absolutely nowhere, so I finally broke it off."
6. Communication is key
"Lack of respectful communication."
7. Hindsight is 20/20
"When she stopped texting me very often. The signs were there before but I was oblivious. 20/20 hindsight I guess."
8. Feeling's mutual
"My last relationship only ended because of long distance problems, and because I had to move. It was a mutual agreement."
9. Not enough time
"Neither of us had enough time for the other."
10. Not the right fit
"Our personalities really clashed. She kept participating in activities I wasn't really happy about and we fought about it a lot. We used to get along and be able to have a good time, but something happened I guess. She became a different person."
Responses have been edited for length or clarity.
