When Should You End a Relationship?

There is never a good time to end a relationship, but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and end it for the sake of your own mental well-being. Of course, there may be a difference between ending a brief fling with someone you met on holiday and deciding to divorce your husband of over 30 years, but at the end of the day you still have to reach a decision. Often, it's easier to simply drift along in a relationship, because it means you don't have to do anything. Change can be a scary prospect, and so it's easier to stay in a particular situation, because you can't predict what will happen if you finally face up to the fact you are not happy being in your present relationship.

Usually, there comes a point in your life when you start to re-evaluate your goals and think about what it is you want from life. There are a variety of options to choose from, whether you want to get married and have kids; focus on your career; move out of the fast-paced city environment or leave behind laid-back country life. It might be that you have started taking evening classes or taken up a hobby that has enabled you to interact with a different set of people. Nobody stays exactly the same and the bond you once had with your partner may change over time if you don't communicate and end up drifting apart. You may find that you simply want different things.

It may be the case that the love is no longer there. Love is unquantifiable and it is hard to explain exactly what it is, but when you're no longer in love it can be difficult to tolerate the imperfections that, at one time, you found endearing. This can lead to silly arguments, because you end up venting your frustrations and taking it out on someone who may not have a clue what is going on in your mind. When you're not feeling content with the person you go home to in the evenings, it might be tempting to look elsewhere for comfort. Everyone wants to feel wanted and there is a degree of excitement associated with starting an affair and getting to know someone without having to commit yourself one way or the other.

Eventually, though, there reaches a point where the arguments are increasingly frequent or your affair becomes more serious and you have to decide whether the relationship you're in is really worth working on, or whether you would be better off on your own or with someone else. Obviously, certain factors can complicate matters, especially if you have children and a house together. In the past, couples would often stay together for the sake of the children, but even though that sounds sensible, in theory; the reality is that both individuals can end up miserable, which can actually have a negative impact on kids. Ultimately, you have to decide what it is you want from life and whether your partner is the person you want to share life experiences with or whether you would be happier removing yourself from the situation and entering a different one.