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Sometimes relationships end with a bang. Somebody cheats or makes a grave mistake, and a knock-down, drag-out fight ends the relationship for you. But other times, relationships go out with barely a whisper – and you can hardly tell it's happening at all. These sorts of relationships can sometimes be the hardest and most painful to end. Because when we're in what we think of as a "comfortable" relationship, it can be difficult to acknowledge that, comfortable or not, the relationship isn't working…and that it's time to move on.
The truth is, delaying the inevitable is only going to make facing your relationship's problems worse in the long run. Not sure if your relationship is on healthy footing? Here are some signs that your romantic relationship is in decline.
1. You spend less time together. When you begin a new relationship, you want to spend every waking moment together. And later, when things settle down, being with your partner is relaxing, appealing, and pleasant – even if it's no longer earth-shatteringly exciting. If you notice that you'd rather go off on your own or sit at home with a book more often than you used to, your relationship may be in trouble.
2. You stop doing nice things for each other. For most people in a happy relationship, it's easy to remember to do nice things for your partner. You take out the trash without them asking, buy their favorite cereal, or send them thoughtful text messages while they're at work. If you find you're forgetting to do those things – that they just don't occur to you – your feelings for your partner may be changing.
3. You need distractions. Couples who are close and share a healthy relationship generally enjoy being alone together. With just a bottle of wine and some good music on the stereo, they can entertain themselves by talking and connecting and enjoying one another's company. Now, there's always time in a relationship when you want to relax in front of the TV. But if you find that you can't spend time with your partner without some kind of external entertainment or distraction, you might want to take it as a warning sign…and you should ask yourself why you don't you enjoy spending time with each other anymore.
4. You fight over silly things. Almost all couples fight and bicker over silly things at times. Which movie to rent or what, exactly, a mutual friend said at a party last weekend. But if you and your partner find yourself fighting more about the little stuff than the big stuff, and seeing those fights get out of hand, it may be a sign that more is wrong than your partner's inaccurate recall of the ending of the movie Casablanca.
5. Your sex life changes for the worse. A lot of things affect a couple's sex life. Stress at work or with family. Your physical health. The amount of rest you get. But if you find that your sex life has changed for the worse and you can see very little reason for it, your relationship may be in trouble. When we feel emotionally close to somebody, physically closeness comes naturally. When that stops being appealing for reasons you can't define, it's time to worry.
