In most situations, divorce is a hard decision to make. Many people agonize over such a decision for months or even years before taking the first step toward ending a marriage.
For some people, the decision to divorce develops over time as they realize they no longer love their partner. For others, there are some definitive signs. In these kinds of situations, staying in the marriage might be far more detrimental than getting divorced.
If you have been thinking about divorce, you may need help coming to a decision. Here are some signs that typically indicate it’s time to end a marriage.
The bad outweighs the good
Many years ago, social psychologists reached the conclusion that the degree of severity of arguments is not usually the problem but that the quantity is. The formula of positive interactions to negative interactions is five to one in order to have a happy marriage. If the negative interactions have begun to outweigh the positive ones, then it is probably time to take the first step toward divorce.
Severity of disagreements
While the positive to negative interaction ratio focuses on quantity, the severity of arguments still matters. If your arguments with your spouse are becoming more hurtful and excessively severe, including abuse, then you should start considering divorce. These types of arguments might start with arguing over something trivial but if they break down into personal insult slinging and occur on a frequent basis, this is a bad sign for your marriage.
Counseling hasn’t helped
If you and your spouse have spent a significant amount of time at couples counseling but your relationship has not improved, then things might be broken beyond repair. This is especially true if you are the one putting in all the work and your husband has repeatedly proven that he is not committed to fixing your marriage.
Infidelity
One of the major signs that it is time to divorce is if one or bother partners have sought relationships outside the marriage. While some couples can repair a marriage after cheating occurs, most people take it as an indicator that it is time to end things.
Other signs that it is time to divorce include emotional exhaustion, abuse and irreconcilable anger. If any of the aforementioned circumstances apply to you, it could be time to end your marriage and get a fresh start. However, if you decide to start the divorce process, keep in mind that you still have to stay strong and focused to fight for the settlement you deserve.
