Going through a divorce can be one of the most emotionally and mentally devastating events of your life, especially if you are blindsided by the entire process. It is very important to recognize the signs that your marriage is on shaky ground. Otherwise, you could be hurt even worse when your partner voices their unhappiness. Accepting that your marriage has come to an end can be a lot to deal with. A Bloomington divorce lawyer understands how to help.

Understanding Common Signs of Impending Divorce

The divorce rate in Illinois is one of the lowest in the entire country, according to 2022 data from the CDC, while the marriage rate is fairly high. The divorce rate in Illinois is 1.1 per 1,000 residents, and the marriage rate is 4.9 per 1,000 residents. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), an estimated 71,600 people reported being married as of 2022. As you navigate divorce, you may want to reach out to a local support group like DivorceCare.

Divorce rarely comes out of nowhere. It takes time for a marriage to degrade to the point that divorce is the only way out. It takes so much built-up resentment, anger, fear, and betrayal to cause a divorce. If you are able to recognize certain signs that commonly suggest divorce is near, it can make the whole situation a bit easier to handle. You may even be able to address certain issues before they become problems. Here are some of the signs of impending divorce:

  • Communication: Every relationship requires consistent communication, especially marriages. If you are not able to communicate effectively with your partner, it can be a glaring sign that something is fundamentally wrong. If you have a grievance that needs to be addressed, you should address it before it festers into resentment. Otherwise, there may be nothing you can do about it.
  • Trust: Every marriage requires a great deal of trust to function properly. If trust is gone, little else may matter in your relationship. Once trust is lost, it can feel impossible to find again. A loss of trust can be the result of different kinds of betrayal, but it is different for every couple. For some, it may stem from infidelity. For others, it may stem from substance abuse. You should consult with a good lawyer about your divorce options.
  • Quality Time: Every healthy relationship requires quality time to remind each partner why they are together in the first place. You need to exist as people once in a while, away from friends, family, work obligations, and even your children. If you find it difficult or completely impossible to carve out quality time, you should consider sitting down and talking through a plan. Otherwise, you may never get out of your rut.
  • Intimacy: A healthy and consistent sex life is very important to many couples, married or otherwise. If you eventually find that you are no longer attracted to your spouse, that can be the beginning of the end of your marriage. It’s important to do what you can to maintain a good sex life. If problems arise, you should try to face them together, even if they may be embarrassing. The alternative may be filing for a divorce.
  • Fighting: It’s safe to assume that every couple fights. Everybody has a line that they don’t want to be crossed. However, if you find yourself constantly fighting with your spouse, particularly about seemingly innocuous issues, you may want to think for a moment about whether something could be wrong in your relationship. Constant fighting tends to be a sign of serious communication problems, among other things.

FAQs

Q: Is It Possible to Restore Trust in a Marriage?

A: It depends. Everybody has their breaking point in a relationship when it comes to respect, consideration, and especially trust. If your partner has repeatedly shown that they don’t care about your feelings, it might be difficult to keep trusting them. Trust is something that is hard to fix once it is broken. If you feel like you can try, you should do it. However, you should know that getting back what you had may not be possible.

Q: Does Having a Lawyer Make a Divorce Easier?

A: While few divorces can be considered easy, having a competent lawyer can make your divorce less stressful, especially if your divorce is contested. Having a strong advocate by your side is essential when your assets are on the line. Their job is to prevent you from being taken advantage of and to help you avoid losing money. If your divorce is uncontested, you may want to hire a lawyer for sound advice through a potentially difficult legal process.

Q: How Can I Know When Divorce Is Coming?

A: Unfortunately, there are many different potential signs that divorce is coming. It’s also important to note that these signs may not always lead to divorce, especially if you catch them early and choose to work on them together with your spouse. Some signs include a communication breakdown, a lack of trust, constant fighting, a dwindling sex life, and a lack of quality time, among other things, unique to every couple.

Q: Why Is Quality Time Important for a Marriage?

A: When you get married, you don’t stop being an individual person. Even when you are part of a larger romantic unit, you still have personal needs. Occasionally, you and your spouse must remind yourselves about why you fell in love and find out if the other person is still the person you fell in love with. Spending time alone together can help you preserve your integrity as a couple, not just as parents or family members.

Reach Out to a Divorce Lawyer Today

Understanding that your marriage is over can be immeasurably difficult to accept. If you are worried that your marriage is on the verge of ending, you may want to speak to a divorce lawyer just in case. They can help you protect yourself if you decide to push forward with divorce.

At Stange Law Firm, we can provide our clients with the resources they need to see their divorce through. Contact us to speak to a member of our team about your case.