12 signs that you may be headed toward divorce

If your marriage has been rocky lately, then you might be wondering if divorce is right for you. It’s a big question to answer, and taking the plunge into marriage dissolution is a serious decision to make. But, depending on the facts of your situation, divorce may be your path to freedom and happiness. So, here are some signs that it might be time for you to take action to dissolve your marriage:

1. You and your spouse feel defensive around each other, which can lead to each of you feeling unheard and misunderstood. If you find yourself secluding yourself in your room or the basement, or your spouse is frequently out of the home, then you might need to start reassessing the stability of your marriage.

2. You no longer respect your spouse, or your spouse doesn’t respect you, which is often evidenced through hurtful communications. If you can’t carry on a respectful conversation with your spouse without making jabs at each other, then that could indicate that you and your spouse are headed toward divorce.

3. Either you or your spouse stonewall the other, thereby making it difficult or impossible to work through marital problems. Again, if you can’t communicate, then your marriage might be on the rocks.

4. Your relationship contains constant criticism, which can just breed resentment amongst you and your spouse.

5. Your spouse is engaging in an online relationship that takes priority over the marriage. This can make you feel unwanted and cause your spouse to lose interest in your marriage.

6. Intimacy has declined or is now non-existent. In these instances, you or your spouse may seek intimacy somewhere else, which is a clear sign that marriage dissolution is probably warranted.

7. Addiction has caused a rift in your relationship, and the party struggling with the addiction refuses to seek treatment or isn’t benefitting from treatment that has been received.

8. You or your spouse refuse to participate in marriage counseling. Marriage counseling can be extremely successful, but if you and your spouse are unable to give it a shot, then there’s probably little buy in to try to repair the marriage. Divorce may therefore be proper.

9. You and your spouse live more like roommates rather than a couple. This can create a cold relationship that makes it clear that your marriage as spouses isn’t going to work.

10. You actively try to avoid your spouse. This is a clear sign that you’re unhappy in your relationship. You don’t want to waste your time in a relationship that you don’t enjoy. So, if you’re trying to avoid your spouse, then you should start asking what sort of future is best for you.

11. You and your spouse’s values no longer align. It can be hard to share a life with someone whose values don’t align with your own. It can create conflict and lead to many of the problems mentioned above.

12. You’re simply not happy. If you’re unhappy in your marriage, then you should really consider whether it’s worth staying in your marriage. It’s probably not.

Every case is unique, and many couples are able to work through their differences to keep their marriage intact. But with that said, you may not want to waste the time and effort of trying to salvage your marriage if you know deep down that your relationship is over. If that’s the position that you’re in now, then you may want to consider discussing your next steps with an experienced divorce attorney.