Good & Healthy Relationship Advice & Tips

Things are going amazingly well with your new love. You get butterflies every time you’re together and you just know this will last forever.

Even your friends are starting to ask when you two are going to tie the knot. The possibility of building a life together is becoming more real each day. Then you get a phone call — or worse, a text — that things just aren’t working out. You never even saw it coming.

Well, maybe you just weren’t looking hard enough. There are a few subtle signs that could spell the end of your relationship.

Here are five to watch out for.

• Phone calls become less frequent: Gone are the days when you used to fall asleep on the phone while whispering sweet nothings. Fast forward to a few months (or years) into the relationship, and you’re either rushed off the phone or sent straight to voicemail.

Or, you used to get a response to your phone call or text messages right away, but now, you either don’t get a response at all, or it takes hours or days before you hear back.

Nothing is wrong with your phone, you’re just lower on the priority list. In fact, you’re so low, you’re about to be dropped off the list altogether.

• Conversations are like pulling teeth: Do you dread having a simple conversation? If communication has all but come to a standstill, it’s time to be worried. This is especially true when it comes to arguments.

If you do or say something that would normally make your partner explode, but you’re met with silence, it could be that he or she just doesn’t care anymore. Your days are numbered.

• There’s an increase in physical and emotional distance: Over time, you may start to notice your partner becoming physically and emotionally distant.

The frequency of sex and intimate gestures such as handholding and sharing deep feelings may start to decline.

A feeling of emotional coldness will slowly start to settle in the relationship. If this is happening, he or she probably wants out but doesn’t quite know how to break the news.

• Your partner asks for space: Sometimes distance doesn’t gradually happen. There are times when your partner may come out and ask you for some breathing room.

This is often a signal that your relationship is slowly going downhill. Someone who is in love will want to be with you more, not less.

Requesting space likely means that your partner is either contemplating the next step in the relationship or is trying to let you down easy and plans to eventually disappear.

• You have that sinking feeling: Sometimes you just know. You may be in denial, ignoring glaringly obvious signs, but often your gut will tell you that it’s just not going to work out.

No matter how much you try to rationalise your honey’s behaviour, it’s often best to just face reality, cut your losses, and move on.