You may still be wearing a wedding ring – but if you’re more like a roommate than a romantic partner, then experts say your marriage may already be toast.
The term “silent divorce” means that couples are under the same roof, but their emotional connection has long disappeared.
Relationship professionals say couples often reach out for finance or children.
“A silent divorce is when you are not legally separated, but emotionally, mentally and can almost remove a certain point from your spouse,” Stephanie Moir, a licensed mental health consultant in Florida, told CNN.
“If you really don’t work in marriage, this can really lead to this emotional disconnect because two people are no longer on the same page,” Moore warned.
Just because a couple looks perfect doesn’t mean everything is far behind closed doors.
“They may be like things outside and are great co-parents,” said Lisa Lavelle, a psychotherapist in New York City.
“The first red flag I tend to see when couples are on the verge of divorce or silent is when they feel more like roommates than romantic partners,” she told the scene.
Skipping dramas doesn’t always bode well. While it sounds like dysfunction, fighting may mean that two people still care about fighting it.
“…The fight often reflects that we currently disagree, we are not on the same page, we don’t see the eyes, but we are working to help our partners see where we come from,” Justin Ho, a licensed professional consultant in Georgia.
However, in the silent divorce, even yelling stopped.
“The couple will talk about logistics, (like) what the dinner is. But anything that makes sense or is uncomfortable, they don’t talk about it anymore,” Lavel said. “The lack of vulnerability.”
Experts say the first step to salvation or ending is that the divorce is silent is to break the silence.
“Ask them, ‘Did you notice the same thing too?’ It’s really just trying to be consistent in that moment.”