When you love someone and they love you back, the high is unbeatable. You could spend all day together, can’t get enough of each other, and find yourself saying and doing things you swore you would never do. But when things start to change, and you’re no longer sure if your partner is still in love with you, the feelings you have for them can begin to feel like a burden. It’s hard to distinguish your own insecurity from a true sense that something in your relationship has changed. Are you being paranoid or is your partner actually becoming more distant and uninterested?
While no relationship stays in the blissful honeymoon phase forever, it can be hard to tell if you’re just becoming more real and comfortable with each other or if your significant other is losing interest completely. Before you make emotional claims or push your partner away, check and see if the following changes are happening in your relationship.
1. They go MIA
If you used to text your partner throughout the day and rarely spent an evening without them, you’ll notice when they start replying to your messages an hour later with short, to-the-point responses and make up excuses for why they can’t hang out tonight. They may blame it on a busy work week or the need for alone time, but if they’re head-over-heels in love with you the truth is that they’d make time to call, text, and spend time with you — even on the busiest of days. If your partner starts to go MIA regularly, it may be a sign that they’re trying to distance themselves from the relationship.
2. Talk of the future stops
When you’re a couple in love, you’ll spend hours daydreaming together, imagining what life will be like once you finish law school or how you want to celebrate the holidays. You may even delve into big events like where you want to settle down, how many kids you want, and what your wedding would be like. Talk of the future is common when you’re infatuated and in love, but when your partner starts avoiding the topic out of nowhere, you may have reason to worry. If they no longer see you in their future, they’ll try to avoid the topic as talking about it will seem hollow and pointless.
3. They stop caring
Many people see constant fighting as a sign that love is lost, but the true sign of dying love is when your partner doesn’t care enough to fight. Instead of being upset that you stayed out later than planned on Friday night, they may shrug it off. Rather than trying to help and dote on you, they may sit back and let you handle your family drama or career shift alone. Why should they care what you do or decide if they’re already half way out the door? Pay attention to small cues that your partner has stopped caring. When they stop being actively and passionately involved in your life and the growth of your relationship, it’s a sign that they’ve already begun moving on.
4. Physical contact declines
When your partner has moved on emotionally, you’ll notice a change in your physical relationship. Not only will your sex life die out, but he or she may avoid cuddling after sex, foreplay, and initiating the act. The changes may also show up in the way they treat you in public. If you used to be that couple that was always hanging on each other or holding hands, you’ll notice when your partner either keeps their distance or claims that they suddenly find PDA inappropriate.
5. Nitpicking takes over
When love is lost so is the infatuation. They may suddenly be disgusted by the very things they used to find endearing. Maybe they thought the way you sneezed was “adorable,” until one day your partner claims it is annoyingly loud. If your partner starts nitpicking everything about you, it may be a sign that they’re falling out of love with you.
Source: Cheatsheet.com