Most relationships go through a honeymoon phase. 'Research tells us that a lot of this is Mother Nature's way of making sure we mate and bond with our partner,' says relationship psychotherapist Paula Hall. 'Inevitably these fuzzy feelings wear off - usually after about 2 years. The important thing is to accept this as a natural change and find new ways to feel close. There are things you can do to feel close again. Get it out in the open and talk about how you feel. Make some time to do things together, even if it's just a walk in the park.
2. You haven't had sex for a very long time;
'If you're not having sex then you need to work out why. If it's because of problems in the relationship then you'll need to sort those out first. If it's deeper than that then it may be that psychosexual counselling can help. But if you don't want sex, and you don't even want to want sex, then this is not a good sign,'
Stress, tiredness and kids can all put your sex life on hold, this is normal. But if you're both making excuses to not sleep with each other or you don't fancy your partner anymore then it could be a sign that it's time to move on.
Before you decide it's over talk to your partner to see if there's a problem. Try to re-ignite the passion you once had with new sex positions or if that feels like too much then start slowly with just a bit of foreplay.
You can't remember the last time you were affectionate with each other;
'When we touch we release a chemical which makes us feel bonded to our partner, so touch is essential,' 'If you really can't bring yourself to be affectionate with each other then you need to deal with the underlying causes. Sometimes so much distance builds between you that touching feels false. You need to get close through communication then hopefully touch will follow naturally,'
You Keep Bringing Up Old Issues;
If you keep bringing up ways she’s scorned you in the past, that’s a major sign of resentment, “Resentment often stems from one partner or both partners not feeling understood, or as if what matters to them is not valued,” In order to begin to move past resentment, each person has to feel that they have influence in the relationship. They need to feel that their dreams, the things that are important to them, have equal value.” Do you hate that she spends so much time with her friends? Ask her why. If you learn that it’s because she wasn’t close to her family growing up and friends became important to her, you’ll understand that it’s not because she’s ignoring you.
She Acts Like You Can’t Do Anything Right;
If she’s dwelling on the negative—criticizing, being defensive, or stonewalling—she’s not going to recognize the still-great things about the relationship or your efforts to make things work. There’s even a name for this state—“negative sentiment override.” If she’s in it, she’s 50 percent less likely to notice neutral and positive interactions, further sending the relationship into a tailspin, according to research from The Gottman Relationship Institute. (If you know it’s over, then you need to get back in the game.
She Keeps Things to Herself;
Has she stopped talking to you about the small, silly stuff in her day? Successful couples know each other’s inner worlds. Not chatting about the little things is a serious sign of emotional detachment,
