Marriage is far from easy. While the U.S. divorce rate has been consistently falling since the 1990s and dropped 18% from 2008 to 2016, still plenty of couples end up divorcing. If you been unhappy in your marriage, how do you know when it’s time to divorce though?
Here are a few signs to watch for:
- You feel criticized and put down by your partner a lot. You feel you will be never good enough to please them.
- You avoid your partner so you don’t have to spend as much time with them. Whether you work overtime, hit the gym, take on a volunteer activity or spend more time with friends, you avoid spending quality time with your spouse.
- You always put your children first. Children take a lot of time and energy to parent. Often couples find themselves with little time to spend with each other because of the demands of parenting. If this continues to be the case, year after year, it can really take a toll on a marriage and leave you and partner to grow apart.
- Marriage counseling isn’t working or your spouse refuses to go. No counselor is a miracle worker. If you continue to have nasty fights with your spouse and feel you aren’t making progress, it may be time to divorce.
- You have vastly different needs for sexual intimacy or aren’t interested in having sex.
- You lose respect for one another.
- You don’t enjoy socializing with your spouse’s friends or their family.
- One of you is a serial cheater or doesn’t want to break off an affair.
The decision to end your marriage is a difficult one. Going through a divorce often is an emotionally taxing transition. However, if you and your partner can’t make your marriage work any longer, you ultimately could have a better future if you divorce.
Before filing for divorce, though, consult a family law attorney. An attorney can help you as you work through the divorce process, on everything from dividing assets to creating a custody schedule and parenting plan for your children.