9 Quiet Signs A Man Is Getting Ready To End A Relationship
One day, you wake up and he is gone.
Kateryna Hliznitsova | Unsplash You’re walking a tightrope and with one false move, your relationship will be done. Shattered to pieces. You spend every moment skating on ice. It feels like you're two seconds from cracking and plunging into the frigid water to drown. That's the first sign a man is getting ready to end a relationship — one way or another.
Relationship struggles are real and the pain in your heart is deep. Your instinct says your relationship is on the brink of destruction, and you feel it. But are you being realistic?
Nine quiet signs your man is getting ready to end the relationship
1. He's moody
Your partner is about as predictable as the weather. You have no idea what to expect every time you see him. Will he be moody? Available? Not available? Attentive or distant?
Why don’t you flip a coin and take a guess? That’s when you know your relationship is on thin ice.
2. He's making sudden plans without you
Seeing your partner suddenly becomes like making a reservation at some trendy new restaurant. His table is reserved. He is busy. He is doing something else, with someone else.
Usually, you’ll know your relationship is going up in flames when your partner starts hanging out with people you don’t even know. It also doesn’t seem like he is willing to introduce you to these new BFFs, which makes you rather suspicious.
3. He's put up an emotional wall
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Trying to figure out what he wants becomes akin to cracking the Rubik’s cube or unlocking a vault. It’s a delicate dance where you try to not offend your partner, push him too much, or ask the wrong “sensitive” questions that might cause him to flip out.
Even if you once had closeness, it is now clearly divided by a wall your partner is reluctant to tear down.
"We are forever looking for connections — with our siblings, on the playground, and as we get older, looking for a best friend, looking for a lover. We are forever looking for that unique relationship that nurtures us, just as we are, accepting us in our most vulnerable moments. That’s the rub. So often we pair up with an emotionally unavailable person, but we hope to change them," explained life coach Pegi Burdick.
4. He never thinks you're right
It seems like no matter what you do, your partner always thinks you’re wrong. You used to be able to predict how he would respond and what would make this person happy. Now, you’ve got no clue.
5. He always says no
When you ask your partner questions or try to make this person happy, it seems as if the answer is forever and always no, no, and no.
6. He compares you to his ex
Remember when your partner thought you were the best? Yeah, well, those days are over. It seems like with every chance he gets, you’re being compared to an ex.
"She did it this way."
"She would have never said that."
A study in the Journal of Relationships Research helped show how even though the ex has been out of the picture, it’s like your partner is bringing up “relationship injuries of the past” while internally wondering where your future will go.
7. He makes you sick to your stomach
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Your stomach operates as the following: queasy, nauseated, or puking. The tension and instability of your relationship are making it so you are sick to your stomach with worry, wondering when the shoe will drop or not, as supported by a study in the Journal of Marriage and the Family.
8. He changes his wardrobe
You catch a look at your partner and he’s all dressed up with supposedly nowhere to go. Or he’s flexing his abs and shaving but only going out with the boys. Yeah, right.
This is one of the signs your relationship is in trouble and your love is going out to scope out the scene and assess if there is someone better out there. Yes, it hurts.
9. You feel it in your bones
You feel all it will take is one more disagreement for it to be over. You don’t want it to end, so there you are, praying for things to change even though deep inside you know with one break, your partner will be gone.
Laura Lifshitz writes about divorce, relationships, parenting, and marriage for YourTango, The New York Times, Women’s Health, Working Mother, and Pop Sugar.