In my opinion, “if you love them, let them go” is one of those phrases that can't be truly understood until it is experienced. If you love someone, you never want to let them go. You want them in your life forever, right? Potentially, yes. But life happens. And more often than not, things don't work out as planned. When differences and challenges place a strain on a relationship and your partner’s happiness is compromised, that's when you must learn to let them go.

When you love someone, their happiness is your happiness. You put their needs before your own. Every partnership has compromises, but it is important to remember that you should never have to sacrifice your happiness to make a relationship work. Most people would probably do anything to make a relationship succeed with the person they love. But in some cases, you shouldn't. I've been there, and I know exactly how hard it is to stand by and watch as the bond between you and your loved one falls apart at the seams. Looking back at it, I wish I would have let them go as soon as I noticed their dissatisfaction. It would have saved us both a lot of pain and emotional stress. But, in the moment, all you really want to do is fix things.

There are countless reasons why a relationship could fall apart. Big or small, it is important to know when to stop fighting for it. Most people want a relationship where their partner would fight to keep them when the going gets rough. But there is a fine line between fighting for someone and holding them down. A relationship is a two-way street, and as soon as one person stops putting in effort or is no longer happy, things will only get harder. That is the point when you need to let them go.

In all honesty, it is indescribably difficult. Especially if it is a long-term relationship or even a marriage. After putting in months or years of effort and dedication, it will seem near impossible to just walk away. But even if only one person in the relationship is unhappy, it won’t be long before both are miserable.

Love is a battlefield: no relationship is perfect, and no person is, either. Regardless of how much you love a person, you need to realize that they deserve happiness as much as you do, even if that means them leaving your life. If you’re lucky, they would do the same for you.

Life is too short to be unhappy. So don’t stay if you are no longer satisfied. Don’t fight for someone who is trying to walk away. If you want them to be happy, don’t hold them down. If you really love them, you have to let them go.