How To Know When It's Time To Walk Away From Love

By Marie Miguel

Updated March 19, 2020

Love can be an incredibly hard thing to recognize. But it's an even harder thing to know when it's time to walk away from love. You may have waited years to be able to find someone that you truly felt like you loved. Yet now, you find yourself wondering if it's really the right thing, and you aren't sure if it's time to put an end to it or if you're supposed to just push on through.

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When To Stick With It

If you're wondering if your relationship should be done just because that initial excitement that you had at the start of your relationship has ended, it doesn't mean you'll need to rush into any decisions.

There are multiple different stages of love that your relationship is going to move through. You weren't going to hold onto that feeling of pure joy and excitement that you experienced in the beginning forever. When you first fall in love with someone, you overlook imperfections and things about them that would normally drive you crazy. But in the euphoria of a new relationship you don't even notice them. However, as time goes on those things start to stand out to you. You start to think, "How did I not notice this before?"

This is perfectly normal in a relationship and something that every long-term relationship is going to go through. You don't have to give up on your relationship just because of this.

You also don't need to walk away from love because you're starting to disagree more and have different opinions. Relationships are made up of two unique individuals and it's not normal for a couple to agree on everything. If that happens it's usually because one person is giving in to the other. Disagreement can be a good thing if you know how to work past them in a healthy way in your relationship.

No relationship is going to make it through years and years of never having arguments and disagreements. It's perfectly normal for relationships to have ups and downs. But, those with healthy relationships and true love will be able to weather through those difficult times. However, there are sometimes when you shouldn't push on and move forward in your relationship and we'll get to some of those below.

When You've Lost Who You Are

If you wake up one morning and realize that you don't even know who you are because you've changed yourself so much in order to keep your significant other happy, it's a good sign that you should walk away from the relationship. Real love does not require another person to change. If the person that you're in a relationship with does not love you for who you are, and there's no point in staying in the relationship.

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If you have changed so much about yourself that you don't recognize yourself, chances are you're going to need to end the relationship in order to find yourself again. There could be sometimes, with therapy and counseling, that a relationship can last if the appropriate changes can be made, but both people in the relationship would need to be willing to make it work.

When You Know In Your Gut

It's important to trust the gut feeling that you have in life. If you just know that your relationship isn't right, even if you can't quite put your finger on what it is, then there's no reason to stay in the relationship. If you find yourself in this position and you're married, then you want to address it with your spouse and try counseling to see if you can figure out what it is instead of just walking away from your marriage. But if you're only dating, there's no reason to continue a relationship when you don't feel like it's the right thing even if you don't know the reason why.

There's nothing wrong with trying to take some time to figure out what the problem is, but in the end, sometimes you just know, and you need to trust your gut.

When You're Going Through the Motions

There's a big difference between a relationship progressing through the different stages of love and just simply going through the motions. If you find that you're just setting a pattern and doing the things that you normally did with your significant other, even though there is nothing there to back it up, it may be time to walk away.

You Aren't Respected

Respect is a very important thing in a healthy relationship. If your significant other doesn't respect you then it's not a healthy relationship to stay in. This means that the way they treat you is going to be negative because they're going to value their opinion more than your own.

They may also cross boundaries that you have established and do other things that you're not okay with. Respect is important in any relationship, and especially in a romantic relationship.

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When There is Any Abuse

If you are experiencing any type of abuse in a relationship, it's a sign that you need to walk away. This is not a relationship that is built on true love. Don't get caught up in thinking that the only type of abuse that warrants separating is physical abuse. Emotional abuse and verbal abuse are not okay in a relationship and is not something that you should stand for.

Also, you must remember that sexual abuse can also be in a relationship as well. Just because you are dating or married does not give that person the privilege to ignore your consent or lack of it.

If you're in an abusive relationship, the first thing that you need to do is get yourself somewhere where you will be safe. It's also important that you seek counseling from someone who has experience in helping people leave abusive relationships. Even though it sounds like it's something that should be easy to do it's often not because the person who is being abused usually struggles with low self-esteem and struggles to identify that the problem is as big as it really is.

You do not deserve and are not worthy of any type of abuse. If someone is abusing you, they are not worth your time or your love.

When Your Opinion Doesn't Matter

When your opinion doesn't matter it's a sign that the person doesn't respect you. If you find that you constantly don't get to choose activities that are done, places that you visit, or what you do with your time in a relationship, it's not a healthy relationship. Healthy relationships are built on give-and-take. You're not going to get your way all the time, but if you are never having your opinion matter it's not a good relationship to the end.

You Can't Trust the Other Person

If you can't trust the other person, it's very difficult to make a relationship work. If you know that they're hiding things from you or if they have in the past, it may be time to just walk away from the relationship. You're going to save yourself a lot of time and heartbreak in the long run.

If trust has been broken in your relationship but you don't want to walk away, then it's essential that you get counseling in order to learn how to rebuild trust with each other. This involves the other person making the necessary changes to help you trust them again. If they are unwilling to do this, then you're going to continue to struggle in your relationship.

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You Act Differently Around Your Partner

If you find that you're constantly acting differently around your significant other than what you do when you're with family, friends, or co-workers, it's a strong sign that you need to walk away. This usually indicates that you don't feel comfortable with your partner or they have made it clear that they don't want you behaving in those ways. If you can't be yourself with the person that you're in a relationship with, then you shouldn't be in a relationship with them.

Now, the one exception to this is if the reason you act differently around other people is that you're trying to fit in with them, then this is a different issue that you need to address separate from your relationship.

When to Seek Help

There are many different situations when talking to a therapist and going through counseling can help you. If you know that it's time to walk away from a relationship but you're struggling with actually following through on it, a therapist can help you work through your emotions and develop a plan. If you want to stay in a relationship that you're struggling in, a therapist can help both of you learn important skills to improve your relationship.

If you are struggling with finding yourself again after getting out of a bad relationship, talking to a therapist can be a great way to work through the situations that you've been through and rediscover who you are. This can be an important step in helping you to improve your self-esteem, grow your confidence, and move forward in a positive way.