A lot of marriages go through rough patches. Many couples can work through them to salvage their relationship, but there may come a point when you’re questioning how much longer you should stay in your marriage. That’s ultimately a question that only you can answer. That said, while we’re certainly not in the business of giving relationship advice, we can oftentimes tell when a marriage has become toxic to the point that it warrants consideration of divorce. If you’re uncertain about whether you’re to that point, then continue reading to see what sorts of situations often lead to divorce and what you can do to protect your interests if you’re thinking about dissolving your own marriage.
Top causes of divorce
There are countless reasons why couples divorce. But below are listed some of the most common. If you’re experiencing similar circumstances, then you may want to closely consider whether exploring divorce is right for you.
- Infidelity: It can be challenging to rebuild trust after your spouse cheats on you, which can lead to tense situations and an overall falling out. This can certainly justify divorce, and you may be able to use your spouse’s bad marital acts against them to ensure that you obtain your fair share of the marital estate and perhaps even alimony.
- Financial issues: Relationships can strain under the weight of financial challenges. Matters can be made even worse if your spouse’s financial infidelity or financial mismanagement exasperates the issue. If your marriage is facing financial hardship to the point that it’s impacting your ability to live the life you want, then it may be time to think about divorce. Similar to physical infidelity, you may be able to use your spouse’s missteps here to secure a brighter post-divorce future for yourself.
- Lack of intimacy: If you and your spouse are no longer physically or emotionally intimate, then it can feel like your relationship is falling apart. While marriage counseling may be helpful here, it might not be as successful as you hope. If, despite efforts to rekindle the relationship, your relationship continues to flounder, then it might be best for both you and your spouse to think about marriage dissolution.
- Poor communication: You and your spouse have to be able to talk to each other if you want to protect your marriage. If you’re unable to communicate in a respectful and easily understood manner, then your marriage is going to be defined by tension and conflict. Although you might be able to mitigate or correct this issue with some intentionality, in many instances the distance created between spouses is simply too much to repair. If that’s the case, then divorce may be the only way out of what’s become a toxic relationship. As you head into marriage dissolution under these circumstances, be sure to find an effective way to communicate that protect you from any aggressiveness exhibited by your spouse.
- Addiction: Substance use, gambling and other addictions can ruin marriages. While you might want to keep your marriage intact to try to save your spouse, you shouldn’t do so if it would cause you further harm or prevent you from living the life you want to live.
- Abuse: On a basic level, you deserve to be physically, emotionally and psychologically safe. If your spouse’s actions put any one of those aspects of your well-being in danger, then it’s time to find an effective and safe way out of your marriage.
Getting divorced can be scary. But there are steps you can take to protect yourself. You simply have to be proactive in learning your options and gathering evidence to support whatever it is that you may be requesting out of your divorce.