5 Tiny Signs Your Marriage May Be On The Rocks

Are marriages fixable once you discover a problem? Most of the time, yes. However, I can't tell you how many couples sit down with me in counseling and wonder why they're experiencing a marriage on the rocks. The problem is that most of the time, relationships that are presently troubled have slipped into problematic patterns slowly.

As time passed, the couple drifted further apart and didn't realize anything was wrong until they reached a point where they either looked at each other as strangers, or their communication patterns had become so poor that they could no longer engage in a civil conversation. However, there are little signs that you can look for that show you have a marriage on the rocks. Awareness of the warning signs can help you and your partner start coming up with new, healthier patterns that will help you enjoy a long, loving marriage.

Here are 5 tiny signs your marriage may be on the rocks:

1. You start going to bed at separate times

When you start going to bed at separate times, three things can happen. The most important of the three is that you stop having those intimate minutes of conversation with one another before you drift off to sleep. This may seem like a minor thing, but over time — it's not.

When lives get busy, quite often this is one of the only times couples have to themselves, so those few minutes before you go to sleep can help the two of you stay engaged in one another's lives — it's a bonding thing. The other things that happen when you start to go to bed at separate times is that you are less inclined to cuddle, which usually leads to the third thing — less intimacy.

2. You start to do more and more things separately (from errands to attending family events)

You are slowly becoming less engaged with one another which means both of you will be more inclined to seek a strong connection outside your marriage. Even the most mundane activities that couples do together have a bonding value.

3. You consult with each other less and less about major decisions (e.g., job changes, big-ticket purchases)

This is usually a recipe for major arguments. When you're a couple, major decisions should ideally be mutual because they tend to have an impact on both of your lives. When you stop consulting each other about major decisions, you're sending the message that your partner's wants and needs are not important — this is never a good thing for a marriage.

4. You no longer know each other's passwords on social media

When you start having secret passwords on social media, it's usually a pretty good indication that you don't want your spouse to see something. If you're doing something you're not comfortable with your spouse finding out, then you shouldn't be doing it ever.

5. You make love less often

Skin-to-skin contact keeps the love hormone oxytocin flowing between the two of you. If you're not making love regularly or at the very least touching often, you will produce less oxytocin. If you don't have time to make love regularly, then hug — it only takes about 20 seconds to stimulate oxytocin and when you do, you'll feel more bonded with one another. If your marriage has shown any of these signs, you could find your marriage on the rocks. Communicate any issues with your partner to solve them, and focus on having a loving, long-lasting marriage.

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Christina Steinorth-Powell, LMFT is a psychotherapist, relationship expert, and the author of three books. Her advice has been featured on Fox News, NBC, CBS, and in publications such as Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Woman's Day, Glamour, and The Chicago Tribune, among many others.