When Is A Marriage Over?
Some Things To Ask Yourself Right Now
A question that comes up frequently from our visitors is ‘When is a marriage over?’ This is a difficult question to answer, but this article will help you to answer it.
The most common reasons for a marriage ending include the following:
- Infidelity
- Falling out of love
- Loss of trust
- Not meeting each other’s expectations
- Violence
In some ways, the question ‘When is a marriage over?’ is similar to ‘How do you know when you’re in love?’. They’re completely different ends of the scale, yes, but there are literally hundreds of different answers for both of them. The answer I have heard the most, for both questions, is ‘you just know’. Think about that for a moment. Falling in love and ending a marriage are two very big events in anyone’s life, yet this ‘answer’ seems to be so clinical and brief.
In truth, there are a multitude of factors that get you to the point of ‘just knowing’. For the purpose of this article, we’re of course going to concentrate on the latter of the two questions.
Let’s ponder it for a moment. How do you know when a marriage is over?
Maybe your feelings towards the other person have changed. Perhaps you don’t feel as much for them as you once did. What has contributed to this though? It doesn’t just happen overnight. It could be that your partner doesn’t pay as much attention to you as you’d like. Or maybe they have different views on things such as money and kids than they did when you both said ‘I do’.
You really need to ponder the question in detail. Does the marriage feel ‘over’ because you feel let down? Is your pride hurt? Is it easier just to give up, rather than sit down with your partner and figure out what exactly you both want out of the marriage?
Now for the Marriage Advice Online answer to the question. In our opinion, a marriage is over when both partners have put everything they have into it and can look back and say they gave it their best shot. Can you do that? If you are reading this article, my guess is that you don’t know 100% if your marriage is over, otherwise, you wouldn’t be looking for answers. In that case, I think there is at the very least a glimmer of hope for you. The big question is – are you prepared to fight for your marriage? If you’re already wondering if it is coming to an end, then what do you have to lose?
As I mentioned early on in this article, things like infidelity and violence are deal-breakers for a lot of people, and I completely understand that. Only you know if you could move forward after either of those things has occurred in your relationship, it’s not for us to tell you. If things like that haven’t occurred in your relationship, and your issue is that you don’t think you feel the same, you owe it to yourself and your partner to find out if that really is the case. It could be that you actually don’t know yet.
Here is a list of questions to ask yourself right now, and the answers should give you a better idea of your feelings towards your spouse, and your feelings about the marriage itself. Writing these down, along with your answers might prove useful too. After you have answered them for yourself, you could answer them for your spouse too, as if they were answering them. Be as honest as you possibly can here.
- Do you still enjoy your spouse’s company?
- Do you still find them physically attractive?
- Do you trust them?
- Are you honest with them?
- Do you spend enough time with them?
- Do you feel the marriage allows you to grow individually?
- Have you told them exactly how you feel about them and the marriage? If so, have you explained your reasoning?
Here’s another way of looking at things – if you woke up tomorrow and you were no longer married and were living separately, how would you feel? Relieved? Lost? Confused? Devastated? Happy? Now fast forward 3 months, how do you think you’d feel then? Would you still feel the same? Or after having 3 months to clear your mind, would you have regrets about going your separate ways?
If you are struggling with where to go from here, an all-in-one solution like Amy Waterman’s outstanding Save My Marriage Today would help you definitively answer this question. Not only that but reading through all the practical advice and following it would help YOU as an individual. It’s about much more than saving your marriage, it goes into how to learn what YOU want from like and how to make yourself happy, regardless of your relationship status. It’s not only a marriage saver, it can be a LIFE saver. Perhaps that sounds a tad dramatic, but when you are unhappy in your marriage and in your household, your life just isn’t what it should be. Imagine waking up each day feeling positive and optimistic about your marriage and your life. You’d be at work and would be counting down the minutes until it was time to go home and could spend time with your spouse. You’d be rid of all the stress of wondering where your life is going.
Do you want to stay exactly where you are right now, or do you want to move forward? Taking some definitive action today can and will change things for the better. Even if your marriage IS over, it’s better that you are able to find that out and take steps to move forward with your life. The worst thing you can do is just stay exactly where you are right now. Are you happy there? Of course not. You deserve to be happy. For more information about this incredible eCourse, you can watch our in-depth video review of it by clicking here.