Noticing early warning signs of relationship breakdown can help couples resolve conflicts.
Some early warning signs include:
- Recurring arguments that are never resolved.
- Feelings of dissatisfaction and unhappiness.
- Complaints of loss of feeling – one or both partner/s speak of no longer being
- in love.
- Abandonment of joint activities – just living parallel lives.
- Preoccupation with interests and activities outside the relationship, leading to
- one partner feeling neglected.
- An affair – becoming emotionally and/or sexually involved with a person
- outside the relationship.
- Increased fatigue and reduced ability to meet responsibilities at work.
- Arguments about parenting.
If your relationship has some of the early warning signs listed above, it can be useful to consider consulting with a professional experienced in responding to stresses and difficulties in relationships.
Relationship courses and seminars can help to improve your relationship and prevent problems from occurring. They provide people with information and skills on a range of relationship issues.
Counsellors can help you to make sense of your experiences in this relationship, to develop ways of managing conflict and difference and to make decisions about the future directions for your relationship. Mediators can work with you to identify everybody’s interests and needs and to discuss options for reaching agreements about children’s arrangements & property and for finances.
It is good for couples to learn new ways of relating, communicating and resolving conflicts. Services that may be useful include relationship or family counselling, mediation and courses for couples or individuals in communication, conflict resolution, parenting or relationship enhancement.
Information for this tipsheet came from the Partners – A guide for Successful Relationships resource.
