Will Time Apart Strengthen Your Relationship Or Break It?

Spending time apart from your partner is different from taking a break. Whether it’s due to reasons that are out of your control or because you think it’s what you both need right now, there are any number of reasons this might be the right step for you. Either way, spending some time apart doesn’t mean it won’t end well. It could actually really strengthen your relationship.

  1. It might make some things clearer. One of the best ways to work out how you feel about someone is to spend some time away from them. It might make you realize how important they are in your life or it could make you realize that they’re not really the right person for you. At least you’ll know one way or the other.
  2. Spending time alone might help you connect more with yourself. The relationship we have with ourselves is the most important relationship we will ever have, but unfortunately, we can lose sight of that when we get into a relationship. When spending some time apart, you might realize that you’ve not been making as much time for yourself as you should have. It’s only when that person isn’t around that you realize that you haven’t been making yourself a priority because they’ve been the only thing on your mind. It’s good to care about other people and their feelings, but it’s not as good if it means you’re sacrificing your own needs.
  3. It might help you to get to the root cause of any issues. If you’ve been arguing with your partner a lot more recently, then spending some time apart might be the best thing for you both. It’s not always clear to see the underlying reason why arguments keep coming back up when you’re in the thick of it. If you allow yourself some breathing space then it will help you to think about everything that’s been happening recently and it could help you join up the dots.
  4. It switches things up. When you’ve fallen into a routine of doing the same things over and over, a good way to break out of it is to spend some time apart so you can work out why that is. Have you grown bored of the relationship or have you unknowingly become lazy? When you start seeing each other again, it will be the perfect time to switch things up and break out of routine.
  5. You’ll appreciate the little things more. When you see someone regularly, it’s easy to fall into a routine and become a little bit too comfortable. Being comfortable in a relationship is a good thing, obviously, but not if it’s making you lazy. You might assume that your partner doesn’t need you to reassure them or compliment them or hug them as often as you used to, but that’s not true. They still want the same things that they received at the beginning of the relationship. That shouldn’t stop.
  6. It allows you time to work on yourself. While you don’t necessarily need time away from your partner to start working on yourself, it does make things a little bit easier. Sometimes we put off our own needs because we’re too busy thinking about other people’s. If you have no choice but to spend time apart, it forces you to think about yourself and what you really want out of life. It could mean that you start practicing self-care a bit more, which is always a good thing.
  7. You can still strengthen your relationship in other ways. You don’t have to see each other face to face to show each other how much you care. You can do that by sending them thoughtful messages and making sure they know how you feel. If you can’t see each other because it’s out of your control, then sending messages and video calling them is the best way of reminding them that you’re still there.
  8. You’ll feel even more excited when you see each other. If you’re used to seeing each other every day or a few times a week, then suddenly not seeing them can feel unbearable. But it’s important to remember that this time apart is probably necessary. Although missing them is obviously expected, missing them to the point where you can’t focus on anything else is unhealthy. If that’s the case, then it will help you to spend more time alone so you can get used to not relying on someone else for your happiness. And when you do see each other again, it will feel even more exciting and you’ll appreciate spending time with them more than you have done before.
  9. Reconnecting with yourself will help your relationship. If you use some of your alone time to think about how you’ve been feeling recently and how you feel about your career and your personal life, it will help you to know what’s best for your relationship. When you’re feeling really low and burnt out, it can add unnecessary pressure on your relationship, so spending more time alone and taking some much-needed rest will really help to improve things.
Coralle is a freelance writer and blogger with a special interest in Mental Health & wellness, Women's health, and relationships.

Find her at justcoralle.com
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