When partners start to drift apart emotional distance will come into play. A relationship may fizzle out because emotional distance often makes people behave badly. Some people will simply walk away from the relationship without any explanation, while others will make excuses and refuse to accept the relationship is no longer worth the effort.
A broken relationship does not occur overnight; it takes time for the distance to become visible. You may no longer be enjoying your time as a couple and struggle to make eye contact with each other. There is a lack of commitment and it is difficult to simply break up. The person who is emotionally distant may feel guilty if the other person still has feelings and wants to continue the relationship.
Why Did The Emotional Distance Happen?
Understanding what led up to emotional distance will make it easier for you to move on after a breakup. There could have been less interest in the relationship or your views may have started to change. A relationship with emotional distance is set into limbo with neither party being sure of what is happening or who should take the blame.
Sometimes, no clear reason exists for the emotional distance and people find their way back to each other. This will be challenging and you will need to rebuild the integrity of the relationship. However, when emotional distance leads to people behaving badly, it will tear the relationship apart.
Emotional distance can manifest itself in different methods for breaking up. The first method is called ghosting and probably one of the worst ways to end a relationship. With ghosting, the person responsible for the break up simply disappears from your life. They leave without a trace and you struggle to get hold of them.
Another way for emotional distance to make a relationship cold is when the broken iceberg effect takes place. In this situation, the parties refuse to acknowledge relationship problems and rather allow a layer of frost to spread over the relationship. Once the relationship is a solid block of ice it breaks apart and sinks on its own.
Fork in The Path
An emotionally distant relationship will lead you to a fork in the path: you need to decide to stick it out, or you need to break up. The end of a relationship is not inevitable due to emotional distance, there are still ways to reconcile and re-enter warmth into your relationship. This will require energy and dedication from both partners.
Relationship stress and anxiety may be to blame for the emotional distance and you will need to address these issues openly with your partner to move forward. Find common ground and focus on strengthening the bonds of your relationship.
Deciding to end the relationship is a very difficult step to take but may be necessary for you to carry on with life. This requires emotional intelligence and you will need a lot of energy to make this choice. Whatever direction your relationship takes, treat each other with dignity and respect.
