The best time to file for divorce is when you’re ready for it. That being said, it’s not always easy to tell when you are ready.
Divorce can be complicated, and just deciding when to start the process can be just as difficult. You may be debating with yourself whether the problems with your relationship rise to the level where divorce is a solution, and you may even find it difficult to be honest with yourself about how invested you and/or your spouse is repairing your marriage.
5 Signs That You May Be Ready for Divorce
A marriage doesn’t fail without warning – that is, there can be many signs that your relationship with your spouse isn’t what it used to be, and you may only grow farther apart. Some of the signs of a flagging relationship may also provide insight into your readiness for divorce.
Read more about some of these signs below, but keep one thing in mind: Choosing when to divorce is a personal decision. If your marriage is harming your mental health or enjoyment of life, delaying divorce to protect your spouse’s feelings may only cause you greater harm.
1. You & Your Spouse Don’t Communicate Anymore
Communication is a very important factor in any marriage, and spouses who don’t communicate well are at risk of divorce. Communication is the flow of feelings and thoughts between spouses; it’s as much about listening to your spouse’s needs and concerns as it is voicing your own.
While communication can be improved when it falters, it takes work that both spouses must be willing to do. When either spouse is unwilling to improve communication, or communication has utterly failed, it can be a sign that other fundamental aspects of marriage – such as trust and respect – are also lacking.
2. You Never Argue with Your Spouse
Constantly arguing with your spouse isn’t healthy, but neither is never arguing. When spouses don’t argue, it can be a sign that either or both of them are emotionally checked out of the relationship. They don’t feel emotionally invested in decisions that affect the marriage or don’t want to deal with having another argument with their spouse.
When spouses argue, they should do so for each other and fight for the relationship. If you’ve noticed that you or your spouse are only ever putting personal interests before the interests of your marriage, it could be a sign that divorce is on the horizon.
3. You Don’t Feel Like You Can Be Yourself
People should feel comfortable being who they are with their spouses. Of all people, your spouse should love and support you for who you are. That doesn’t mean they have to agree with you on everything or every decision you make, but there should be a baseline amount of respect and acceptance for you as a person.
If you feel like you have to be someone you aren’t around your spouse, that can be a sign that you’re not compatible in the long run. This isn’t always an issue couples face when they marry young or after a short time after meeting – people often change over time, so everyone is at risk of losing compatibility with their spouse as life ebbs and flows.
4. Your Relationship Feels Like an Afterthought
We all get busy with our kids, work, school, family, and friends from time to time. Kids are especially a lot of work, and they consume both parents’ time, energy, and resources. While it’s not wrong to make these priorities in your life, it can be detrimental to your marriage if your relationship with your spouse always comes second, third, fourth, or never.
Priorities shift and change over time, even daily. But if you and/or your spouse never seem interested or willing to include your relationship as one of those priorities, it can be a sign that the relationship needs a lot of work or simply isn’t working out.
5. You’ve Researched Divorce Before
When a marriage is working out, spouses don’t look into the legal process of splitting up. It might be a sign that you’re ready for divorce if you’ve researched topics such as alimony, child custody, and child support before. While marriages can be salvaged through therapy and counseling, a spouse who’s looked into the cold facts of the divorce process might already have one foot out the door.
Contact Us for Help with Your Divorce
If you’ve realized that you might be ready for divorce, it can help to talk to a divorce lawyer to learn more about the legal process in greater detail. At Beatriz Zyne, P.A., we can offer insight into what’s to come and how we can render the legal advice and services you’ll need to make the best possible decision for yourself.
For more information or to request a consultation, contact Beatriz Zyne, P.A. today.
