Is your marriage in a good place, or are you in an unhappy marriage?

Married couples sometimes take too long to realize that their marriages are in trouble. In fact, many of them don’t know the signs of marital trouble, and do not respond until it’s too late. Others recognize the signs but choose to bury their heads in the sand and keep acting as if everything is fine.

Ideally, relationship problems should be dealt with as soon as they surface. In order to do this, couples must be able to identify marital problems early enough, when they can still be solved through dialogue, compromise and cooperation.

5 Signs That your Marriage is in Trouble

You are no longer best friends

When a couple ceases to be best friends, it is usually a sign that the marriage is in danger. Usually the couple starts to drift apart and their emotional connection starts to fade. Partners may also find themselves getting closer to other friends. However, if a couple catches these signs early, they can re-cultivate a deep friendship with each other.

You have no emotional connection

In a happy and healthy relationship, spouses have intimate and close communication with each other. They have a deep emotional connection that feels more or less like a “fellowship of the spirit.” If this connection starts to fade, it is a sign that trouble is looming. Christian couples can recapture this fellowship by praying, reading the scriptures and growing spiritually together.

You have unresolved conflicts

When conflicts are left unresolved, they can be a real stumbling block to oneness in the marriage. Every conflict that is swept under the rug becomes a building block in the wall between the spouses. If the conflict is not resolved, it can grow and completely alienate the spouses from each other, leading to an unhappy marriage. Couples can avoid this by resolving conflicts as soon as they occur.

Your communication is poor

Nothing spells doom for a relationship like poor communication. Poor communication can hinder a couple from resolving conflict promptly. This is especially true for couples that only have surface communication that lacks depth or deep meaning. Any couple can learn how to communicate better with a bit of professional help.

You engage in power struggles

Struggling over who has the final word in decision making is a sign of trouble.  Happy couples do not argue over who controls the direction of the family. They do not undermine each other’s authority or speak disrespectfully to each other. Happy couples are understanding, compassionate and selfless towards each other. Selflessness nips power struggles in the bud.

If a couple cannot recognize the signs of marital trouble, they may wait too long to figure out how to fix a broken marriage. In fact, any couple that wants to avoid an unhappy marriage should be on the lookout for the above signs and deal with them as soon as they appear.