When you’ve been married for as long as we have, you start to notice certain trends about your partner’s behaviour. One of these trends is that they seem to prefer spending their free time with other people rather than with you. Even when they are with you, they will often prefer spending time with their friends than with you. This can leave you feeling a little neglected, as if your partner doesn’t care enough about you to spend time only with you. Is this affection you’re feeling or is it jealousy?
Being in a long-term committed relationship can be so much fun. You get to explore new places and new things together, and you can both grow and change alongside each other.
But if you wake up one day and find yourself feeling neglected, then it might be time to question whether this is indeed a loving and long-term partnership. A healthy relationship should be built on trust and equality, and when these foundations are rocked, the connection can be threatened.
The Problem With Jealousy
Just like any other emotion, jealousy can be positive or negative. When it’s negative, it can keep you from achieving your full potential as a couple. Let’s face it, life can be pretty mundane and sometimes boring, especially when you feel controlled by your emotions. This can lead you to do or say things you’ll later regret.
When your partner senses that you’re feeling jealous, they may feel threatened. They may feel insecure and believe that you don’t trust them or value them as much as you should. This can cause you to act less kindly toward each other and less realistically. The truth is, jealousy is a tricky emotion to deal with. It can be caused by a myriad of factors, and the truth is, most of the time, we don’t know exactly why we feel this way.
Why Does My Partner Act This Way?
The reason your partner acts this way is because they don’t feel secure in your relationship. They don’t feel like they can be themselves around you or that your relationship is a safe place for them to be vulnerable. This is why it’s so important to establish a strong foundation in your relationship. When you do, they will feel more comfortable being themselves and, in turn, you will feel more comfortable with each other.
Your partner may believe that, because the two of you have been together for so long, you must have known each other before and that this is why you’re acting the same way. They may feel that you don’t see them as a unique person and that you don’t care enough about them to see their true colours. They may feel like you don’t trust them or that you don’t believe in them, and this can make them feel insecure.
What Can I Do To My Partner To Feel More Confident?
If you want your partner to feel secure in your relationship, you can start by being a better person. You can make them feel like the unique and special person you claim they are by honouring their feelings and showing them your support. Talk to each other about how you’re feeling. If you feel that you’re not getting along, work on it. It may be that one of you is bringing the other one down. Realise that this is not the case and that you should be working as a team to become stronger.
Make time for yourself. It’s easy for both of you to get so absorbed in your relationship that you neglect yourselves. Take time out for yourselves. Go on a date with your partner or just go for a walk. You can do this every week or every other week. It will allow you to reconnect and feel more like yourselves again. This is a great way to regain your confidence and help your partnership grow.
If your partner doesn’t feel like they can be themselves around you or that you don’t trust them, then maybe it’s time for you to go on a date with someone else. Seeing other people can help you challenge your assumptions and feel more open to new possibilities. It may be that you are both attracted to the same person and that this is the root of the problem. If you can see other people as potential partners, then you don’t have to feel threatened by them. You can work toward the betterment of your relationship and establish a strong foundation for the both of you.
Where Do I Go From Here?
It’s never easy to look at your own relationship and see it from a different perspective. But if you decide that this is the case and that you want to explore the possibility of being with someone else, then it’s time to act. Be brave and make the first move. After all, you’ve been with this person for a long time and it’s been great. But if you want to explore other options, then it’s time to be the one to break the silence.
A Final Word
As you can see, establishing healthy boundaries and being brave can help you break the twilight marriage. When you’re in a healthy and happy relationship, you feel like you can be yourself and let your emotions flow without any restrictions or limitations. Don’t feel bad about wanting or wanting more. But remember, wanting can be a good thing. It can be a wonderful motivating factor in your relationship. If you want to be with this person and want to work on making your partnership stronger, then go for it. But if you want to explore other options, then be brave and make the first move. As long as you both agree that this is what you want, then it’s definitely worth risking everything to pursue it. If you’ve tried to follow the above rules and still feel neglected, then it may be time to consider whether this is the person you want to spend your life with. Is this affection you’re feeling or is it jealousy? Once you know the root of the problem, it’s easy enough to solve. But until then, all you can do is keep on trying.