No one says yes to a marriage proposal ever believing that it’ll be less than perfect. In fact, most people believe that a proposal is the start of something amazing. The problem is that the people you were when you first met each other won’t always be the same because you grow together and for some, that means growing apart.

When things in your marriage begin to change, you might be considering divorce at some point, and while that sucks, it’s something that just happens.

Thankfully, we’re living in a time where we are allowed to stand up and say no when things aren’t going well. We’re not feeling obligated to stay in relationships that have ended anymore; we’re choosing to leave bad situations with the help of others like Natalie Chase. It’s never, ever an easy or quick decision to get a divorce. It’s actually one of the hardest decisions you could ever make, especially if you are making this decision with children in the mix. A split could be the best decision that you ever make in your life, and if you are currently questioning whether it’s the right thing for you right now, then here are some of the signs that it really is time for the end.

You No Longer Communicate

Some couples talk, others fight, but if you are doing neither this is a problem. You should be communicating with one another properly and if you’re not, you have both given up on being understood and are resigning yourselves to a big old bowl of nothing. It’s a red flag that your relationship isn’t working.

You’re Indifferent

You don’t feel that pit of the stomach joy you used to get. You’re not feeling rage when they do something to upset you. You’re just…meh. You don’t feel anything but neutrality and you have long stopped caring about what they feel or think. Losing the ability to feel connected isn’t always easy to deal with but you can get it back if you want to.

There’s No More Intimacy

It’s not a secret that intimacy tends to disappear after marriage for some couples, but if you have tried to salvage it and get it back and it’s not working, then the time may have come for there to be an end.

The Emotional Connection Is Fizzling Out

Feeling close emotionally is so important in a marriage, and you deserve that closeness with your partner. If you aren’t connecting on that deeper level, a divorce may be your last option. You have lost an important part of your marriage if you have lost this.

You Have Stopped Being Partners

When you parent kids and raise them together, the relationship side of things can be left behind pretty quickly. When this happens, it can be too difficult to get back together as partners and that isn’t easy to deal with.

If you are able to bring your marriage back together, the great. But there is never any shame in saying enough is enough.