37 Early Warning Signs Your Marriage is Getting Stale

 

No matter how great a marriage once was, couples often find themselves in a relationship that is getting stale. There is no need for panic. This is normal. A stale relationship does not have to end in breakup. Knowing the early warning signs is the first step in bringing the freshness back.

These 37 early warning signs provide a great standard against which to measure your relationship. They roughly fall into 4 main categories; communication, camaraderie, communion and commitment. Take time to measure your relationship against this list and discover where you may need to place some extra effort.

Communication

  • You don’t talk much
  • You are hurtful to each other
  • You constantly fight in public
  • You replay the same arguments over and over again
  • You talk sharply to each other
  • You make demands instead of requests
  • You rarely offer promise and encouragement
  • You spend little time just talking
  • You just completely stop talking

Camaraderie

  • You have more personal hobbies than things you do together
  • You spend more quality time with the kids than with your spouse
  • You take each other for granted
  • You fail to get excited about each others ideas and dreams
  • You lack together time
  • You pay more attention to screens than to each other
  • You allow too many distraction
  • You find yourself getting really into movies, video games, sports, crafts, being with friends, etc

Communion

  • You no longer crave a kiss hello
  • Your intimate life is almost nonexistent
  • You no longer have desire for each other
  • You dread date night
  • You fail to encourage each other when spouse is feeling down
  • You Bottle up emotions
  • You lack a fulfilling sex life
  • You have no desire for sex

Commitment

  • You are no longer willing to work on the marriage
  • You look for solutions to your marital problems outside of your marriage
  • You allow boredom to creep in
  • You find yourself doing the same thing all of the time
  • You lack of external support
  • You suffer from a lack of participation around the house
  • You allowing yourself to become bland and stale
  • You find yourself constant complaining
  • You stop doing the little things
  • You begin to seek attention elsewhere
  • You are disrespectful of you spouse publicly or privately
  • You notice either you or your partner are withdrawing from the relationship

Homework: Before you leave this page, send your partner a text telling them that they are special. Tonight, tell you spouse that you appreciate them and what they do for your family. This week, try and spend some time focusing on your partner and something that interests them.

 If you’ve enjoyed this article and would like to continue the journey, read “Who Else Wants a Great Marriage” or download our free e-book entitled “Sex.Love. Happiness.”