When you’re drifting apart, your significant other might be having an emotional affair. Find out how to spot the signs that there might be something going on, even if he’s been faithful to you.
Once you spot the most obvious emotional affair signs, you can have a discussion about the issue and try to solve some of the problems that contributed to the communication issues in your relationship. Playing the blame game is a bad idea, but with a little work, your relationship can be stronger than before if you’re both willing to work at it.
1. He’s Not Being Himself Anymore
Partial emotional withdrawal from the relationship is one of the earlier warning signs that there are some problems, and that he might be having an emotional affair. If he starts being distant, he might have simply found a different connection that temporarily feels more satisfying to him. When you notice that he doesn’t open up to you as frequently as before, there’s usually a problem, even if he’s not in an emotional affair.
2. He Starts Comparing You to Other Women
Comparing your partner to others and drawing a negative conclusion is always a bad sign for a relationship. If he keeps pointing out how other women are better than you, even in small ways, that could be one of the emotional affair signs.
3. Your Sex Life Feels Different
There’s a huge emotional component to sex in a long term relationship, so when it starts feeling different, there’s a problem. If you feel detached and lacking a connection in the bedroom, that could definitely point to the fact that he’s not really into it because he has a strong emotional connection to someone else.
4. He Spends Less Time with You
When your guy starts coming in late from his job, you might think he could be cheating, but this can also be one of the emotional affair signs, whether it’s with a coworker or not. If you know he’s confiding and spending a lot of time with a friend, while spending less time with you and putting up an emotional wall, he might be having an emotional fling with her.
5. Your Instinct Tells You Something Is Wrong
There are a lot of small signs that can add up, even if none of them prove anything. When your gut is telling you that there’s a problem and he’s not communicating with you anymore as much as before, you should have an honest talk. He might not have started an emotional affair yet, but he might be getting closer to another woman, even if he would never cheat.
See also: 10 Habits That Hurt Your Relationship
6. He Spends More Time on His Phone
If he’s suddenly very attached to his smartphone, and he’s always texting or using different apps to get in touch with people you don’t know, that could be one of the emotional affair signs. Wanting to always be there for her when she’s up for a chat is a big warning sign, and you should definitely ask him if something is up if you’ve also noticed some of the other red flags.
7. He Starts Fights More
When he’s getting some of his emotional needs met elsewhere, he’ll be a lot less forgiving to you. If he keeps starting fights or just complaining about your actions more and more, there’s definitely a problem, and the emotional affair might be causing tension in your relationship.
8. No More Access to His Phone and Computer
If you start noticing password on his gadgets that weren’t there before, along with increased usage, that could be one of the big emotional affair signs. When a guy doesn’t care about his privacy until suddenly he does, he has something to hide, even if it’s something more benign.
9. He’s More Interested in His Appearance
Starting a new workout routine or buying more and more new clothes can also be a warning sign. Even if the other woman is just a friend or confidante, and not a mistress, he’ll still want her to be into him, so he’ll make more of an effort.
10. He Stops Trying to Solve Relationship Problems
Whether he’s cheating or just connecting with someone else on an emotional level, he’ll stop trying to fix conflict in your relationship, he’ll just avoid them. One of the big emotional affair signs is the fact that he’s less and less interested in coming up with compromises for the two of you.
