Every day, countless men and women go to counselors and ask if their relationship can be saved. Even more men and women turn to their friends and trusted family members, bemoaning that what was once good has now turned bad. There are screaming fights, stony silences, glares across a crowded room and sighs of sadness. Sometimes there is a long conversation that ends in tears, and sometimes there isn’t a conversation at all – beyond the screaming that goes on when someone’s clothes wind up in a bonfire in the front yard.
For those couples, things are definitely over.
But for others, things take a different turn. Sometimes a woman goes to her partner and says, we have a problem, please help me fix it? And they do, then before you know it, they are celebrating twenty years of marriage. Sometimes a man goes to a woman and confesses all his sins, and she finds the strength to forgive him. Then, somehow they wind up happy and in love again, and all is well with the world.
For those couples, what felt like the end really wasn’t.
But how do you know the difference? In matters of the heart, figuring out what is coming next can sometimes feel very frustrating. Relationships ebb and flow and change, and sometimes those changes can feel like the end, when it’s really not. But other times, what feels like a minor speed bump can turn into the painful breakup you never saw coming.
How do you know? And once you know, what can you do about it?
These signs that things are over might mean that you’re over for good, or they might mean you’ve still got a chance. Think long and hard about what is happening in your relationship right now, then read on to see which signs fit you – and what you can expect to happen next.
