Every relationship has fights, it’s part of living with someone. But how can you tell when an argument or a fight points to a deeper issue in your relationship?
Here are a few red flags that may indicate your marriage is in jeopardy.
Trust
The foundation of a solid relationship is trust. But, there are a lot of ways you can trust someone. To have a successful marriage, you and your spouse will need to be able to physically, emotionally and financially trust one another.
While it’s normal to have insecurities at times, you should be able to trust your partner and vice versa if your actions support that trust. For instance, if your partner uses misuses a joint bank account, it’s natural that you would lose some trust in him or her. However, if this has never happened before and they have a history of good money management, you will likely retain some trust that they’ll make the situation better.
If your spouse continuously betrays your trust physically, emotionally or financially, it’s not likely to stop. This will lead to resentment among other issues.
Intimacy
It’s natural for couples to become less intimate as their relationship matures and their responsibilities grow. However, a relationship that is completely void of intimacy is dysfunctional. Intimacy can include verbal exchanges, warm gestures and private time alone.
In some cases, you may need to remind your partner about the importance of intimacy. However, if you find yourself consistently wanting for affection that is not returned, there may be a deeper issue with your marriage.
Compromise
After you spend enough time with anyone, you’re likely to get into a disagreement over something. It’s important to compromise those disagreements. However, it’s also important to compromise with yourself about when to bring up a disagreement.
There will be times that each of you will need to compromise what is important to you for the other person — no matter if you agree or disagree with it. Some of these compromises may be very small, while others will be very large. Each of you should be compromising an equal amount.
What to do if you’re worried
Couples typically file for divorce because the marriage has broken down past repair. If you believe your marriage is lacking in one or several of these important aspects, you can seek relationship counseling to find a potential solution. However, there may be some cases in which you can’t trust one another again, your intimacy is gone or the two of you are unwilling to compromise for one another.
In these cases, you should seriously consider divorce. By speaking with a Family Law attorney, you can learn more about your options.
