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How To Deal With Taking A Break In A Relationship (11 Helpful Ways)

Perhaps you have chosen to take a break in your relationship and you have been wondering how to make this work. Separating from your partner and even taking a break from each other can be hard, but it is often worthwhile if you have been experiencing issues in your relationship. There are a lot of ways to make taking a break easier

There are many ways you can use separation and time apart to figure out issues in your relationship. It is important at times to focus on yourself, as it may be your own personal issues that are creating problems in your partnership. It is important sometimes that you take time apart to sort out your thoughts and feelings. 

Take the time apart to sort out your thoughts and figure out what you really want in your relationship. It is necessary to focus on yourself and look after your own wellbeing if you want your relationship to be healthy too. Spend time with your family and friends, exercise, and enjoy your hobbies and passions that you may have forgotten about. 

How Do You Deal With Taking A Break In A Relationship?

Taking a break in a relationship can be daunting but it may end up saving your relationship, especially if you have been unhappy for a while. Take the time to figure out whether the relationship is making you happy and whether there are things that need to be changed. But do relationship breaks work or do they always spell an eventual breakup?

Taking a break can work in some cases but there is no guarantee that time apart will fix all of your problems and help you avoid breaking up with each other. If you fail to set clear boundaries and rules for your breakup it is going to be even harder to get back together. If you fail to set boundaries, you are likely going to upset each other, whether you mean to or not. 

However, it is not all bad and sometimes a temporary break from one another can do your relationship good in the long run. While many people may portray taking a break as a negative thing, it can do a lot of good for your relationship, especially if you currently spend all of your time arguing with one another. Keep reading to find out how to make it work.

1. Determine Whether You Should Take A Break

determine whether you should take a break

If you have been experiencing relationship problems lately, it may be a good idea to consider taking a break from your partner and your relationship. But how can you be certain that it will be a positive thing rather than a negative thing? What rules and boundaries should you set with your partner when you decide to go on a break. 

How do you know whether going on a break from each other is going to be a good thing? If you are going through a rough patch in your relationship and have been for a long time, a break may be a good idea to gain a little perspective and headspace. If you are arguing all of the time that you are unable to have a civil conversation, taking a break may be helpful. 

You both still love each other and you want to save your relationship, but you have no idea how to fix your issues. Taking some time away from each other may be the thing that you need to figure out your issues. If you have been focusing on your relationship and its issues more than anything else, it may be time to take a step back for a while. 

2. Find A Balance Again

If you realize that all you have been thinking and focusing on lately is trying to fix your relationship, it may be time to consider taking a break from your partner. If you have become obsessed with your relationship issues and have lost any sense of yourself, this may be a helpful thing to consider to regain some balance in your life. 

If you have realized that you have lost your self-confidence and your happiness solely lies in your relationship, it is likely time to make a change. You may have forgotten who you are because you have become so intimately entwined with your partner. It is important in this case that you seek to find a healthy balance in your life and in your relationship. 

In any relationship, it is important to find a balance and whenever you begin to lose that balance it is easy to become unhappy with your partner. It is important that you don’t lose who you are, you don’t stop seeing your friends and family just because you are in a relationship and you continue to do the hobbies and other things that you loved to do before. 

3. Take Time To Reflect

Taking time apart is often a healthy way to attempt to resolve any issues you may be having in your relationship, however, it has to be done in a healthy way. Both partners must be clear and aware of the rules and boundaries that you have put in place. When you are both clear, it will allow you to gain some space to reflect on your relationship. 

If you are unable to take a break and enjoy some time apart, you may start arguing again as you have not had enough time to figure out your thoughts and begin to find a way to heal your personal issues. Finding peace again means that you have to identify and resolve the negative thoughts and feelings that may have been building up in your head.

Reflecting on your relationship and the causes of the problems that you are having is the first step in finding a way to resolve things. You will never be able to resolve your problems if you don’t have adequate time to figure them out and to think of a possible solution. So make sure you take time to reflect if you go on a break from your partner.

4. How To Tell Your Partner That You Want A Break

how to tell your partner that you want a break

If you have decided that you want to take a break from your partner the first thing that you may be wondering is how to tell him. Make sure if you are telling your partner that you want a break from him that you do it in a calm and mature way. Avoid doing it in an aggressive way or trying to start an argument, as this will only make matters worse

You should make it clear that you don’t want a break because you don’t love him anymore but that you need some space and time apart to work on your own personal issues. Make sure you do it in a loving way and explain it in a way that he understands the reason for it. Explain you want to spend time with your friends and family for a while. 

And if you are living with your partner it may be a case where you have to consider moving out or asking your partner to go and live with his family for a while. If you are stressed by your relationship it is important to take time away and gain space emotionally to think, reflect and work on yourself. 

5. Ensure You Are Both On The Same Page

If you decide to take a break in your relationship it is important to ensure that you are both in agreement and you are both on the same page. It is important that both partner’s needs are met and both are in agreement about the break. Ensure to set rules and boundaries that you both agree on and are both happy to stick to. 

It is likely that one partner is more emotionally dependent on the other so it may be harder for one than the other but this makes it even more important that you are both on the same page. Ensure you are both getting what you want and need by being in agreement on the terms of your break. In this way, one partner won’t be resentful toward the other. 

6. Keep In Contact

Just because you are taking a break from each other, doesn’t mean that you stop all contact with each other. The reason for taking a break is to figure things out and ultimately stay with each other and avoid a breakup. Thus it is important to stay in contact with each other while you are separated and spending some time apart. 

If you avoid all contact then you will likely begin to start feeling distant from the other person and ultimately push them away from you. No contact is not a positive thing if you want to stay together with this person. Avoiding all contact will only make your issues worse. Agree with the other person how often you will talk to each other while you are apart. 

Again it is a good idea to ensure you are on the same page and that you in agreement as to how much you want to talk to each other. Choose a method of communication whether it may be a short phone call or texting via social media. While one person may prefer to talk more often it is important to try and find a balance between both of your preferences. 

7. Agree On A Time Period

agree on a time period

It can be difficult to know what time limit to put on your separation but it is important to remember that it will depend on each situation and each individual couple. Often people choose to separate for three months as anything more than that might be too much. Three months is a good place to start and you can re-evaluate the situation again from there. 

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If your separation goes on any longer than a few months it may be time to consider whether you should actually just break up with each other. Choose a time period that suits both of you but give yourself enough time to allow you to heal and resolve any negative habits that you had been experiencing in your relationship. 

When you are together all of the time you may not realize how much you actually love having that person in your life. It may take some separation and distance to really appreciate that person again. If you start missing each other soon after you decide to go on a break, it is a good sign that your relationship will work out. 

8. Think About How You Feel When You Aren’t Together

Remember that the goal of taking a break is really to reflect on how you feel when you are not together. It may also help to go to counseling to really find a solution to your issues. A counselor will help to ensure that your conversations are helpful when you are with that person or you are communicating with them. 

Often what was meant to be a temporary break can end up being a proper breakup in some cases. It is often the case that one partner was secretly or subconsciously hoping that the relationship would end and have used the separation as a chance to get out of the relationship. That is why you always have to try to be honest with your partner. 

Telling your partner that you want a break when you really want to break up is a cowardly and immature thing to do as it is only going to drag out their pain and suffering for longer than it needs to be the case. Think about what it is you actually want and ensure you are always honest with and never lie to your partner. 

9. Look For Clarity

There are few things more frightening than having to tell your partner that you want a break or having to hear from your partner that they want a break, but in many cases, it can be a healthy means to find clarity. It is important not to discount the idea of going on a break just because many people think that it is a negative thing. 

Taking a break or choosing to separate for a while is not necessarily a negative idea and it can often help you to heal and resolve your issues by finding clarity. If your relationship gets really complicated, distance and the chance to gain clarity is necessary. Going on a break is a great means to get some clarity and clear your mind of your doubts and worries. 

Deciding to take a break from your partner and your relationship can help you if you have started to feel trapped or suffocated in your relationship. Choosing to go on a break from each other can be a great means to sort out what you are feeling and identify any issues that you are feeling. 

10. Focus On Personal Growth

focus on personal growth

Taking time away from each other gives you time to explore what it is like when you are not together. Take the time to focus on personal growth and gain a new perspective on your relationship. Many people think that it is healthy to spend all of their time with the person they are in a partnership with and that this is a sign of a good relationship. 

However, being together all of the time is often not healthy and can cause issues in your partnership. Becoming too attached and dependent on another person can be unhealthy and ultimately ruin your partnership. Spending too much time together is especially unhealthy if you have begun to spend all of that time arguing with each other. 

Choosing to separate for a while is a good idea for people who still care about the other person but just cannot get along with them for whatever reason. They demand that you and your partner spend some time apart and consider how you feel when you are apart and when you are together and weigh up the two. 

11. Gain A New Perspective

Separating from each other is a means to gain a new perspective on your partnership and is a chance to break any unhealthy or toxic habits that may have formed. It may help you both to figure out your doubts and failures and decide what changes are necessary if you decide against a break up with that person. 

Perhaps after someone takes a break they are more likely to put in the effort and to really appreciate the people surrounding them. It is easy to forget how much you love and appreciate someone if you’ve been together for ages.

FAQs

Do breaks in relationships work?

Taking a break in relationships can be scary but it is often a good means to gain a new perspective on your partnership, to find some headspace, and work on your own personal issues. Breaks give you time to figure out whether you are happier with or without your partner and to decide how you should continue in the future. 

How long should a break in a relationship last?

A break should usually last about three months according to experts. Choose a time limit that you both agree on and re-evaluate your situation when you have reached this limit. After this time away from each other have an honest conversation about how to move forward with or without the other person. 

Why taking a break in a relationship is bad?

Taking a break in a partnership is considered by some to be a negative thing, however, in many cases, it offers couples a means to resolve their partnership or to figure out that it is time to move on from one another. Decide on terms and rules that suit both of you so that you don’t have any disagreements or misunderstandings. 

What does taking a break in a relationship mean?

Taking a break in partnership means spending some time away from your partner if you have been experiencing issues or arguing a lot with that person. It gives you some time to work on your own personal issues and decide what you actually want and whether you want to stay with this person in the long run. 

Should you talk during a break?

When you are on a break, it is important to maintain contact with each other. Decide how frequently you should talk and through what means of communication you should talk. No contact whatsoever can only serve to push you further apart from this person when if you ultimately want to stay together ensure you maintain some form of communication

To Sum Up…

Going on a break from your partnership can seem scary to many people, however, it is often a healthy means of resolving your personal issues and figuring out what you actually want in the future. As long as you are both on the same page and decide on the right terms and rules of your break, it can be very helpful in saving your partnership from a breakup. 

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