Very often people tend to think that marriage will work by itself if they just go with the flow. If things were that easy, we would not be having the high divorce rates as we do today. There are times when spouses start drifting away in a marriage. Our lives are so busy that we tend to ignore so many subtle signs that indicate a failing marriage.

When you choose to ignore these subtle signs over a period of time, these signs may not remain so subtle. This is when couples wonder "what went wrong’? The truth is, things in a marriage usually do not go wrong overnight. It takes a series of unfortunate events to reach a stage where a marriage breaks down completely.

No two people living in such close proximity, day in and day out, can possibly avoid hurting each other every time. Therefore, in your moments of carelessness or thoughtlessness, you and your spouse are bound to inflict some sort of a pain on each other, which can leave a slight scar on your heart. When people fail to mend these scars or heal them with love, they actually harvest a ground that is fresh for divorce.

It is important to watch out for initial signs that might tell you that your marriage is in trouble. Therefore, we have highlighted a few points that can help you analyse if your marriage is headed towards the end of the road.

Early Warning Signs That Indicate a Failing Marriage

• Mobile phones are the easiest way for people to cheat. If your partner is talking on the phone more than usual, it might indicate a new relationship. In addition, your spouse may insist on talking privately by either leaving the room to take the calls or asking you to leave. Your spouse may suddenly act very possessive about his or her mobile phone so that you do not pick any of the calls or see who is calling. There are times when text messages can give you good clues about a cheating partner.

• Does your partner seem withdrawn from you and whatever is happening around when he or she is home? This state of indifference and distant attitude is a very important warning sign. You may suddenly realize that your partner has lost interest in whatever you are saying or what you want.

• Some partners start criticizing each other continuously. Nothing that you do seems right to the other person and maybe the same holds true for you too. The criticism is mostly never constructive and what starts as a mild criticism might result in constant bickering very soon.

• Is your partner trying to offend you intentionally? There are times when some spouses are too weak to tell their partners that they want a divorce. Therefore, they will resort to any measure to offend their partner so that the other spouse suggests the idea of divorce.

• Your spouse might not want to go out with you anymore. He or she would rather want to go out by himself or herself. This could mean that either your partner wants some alone time to think about your relationship or that he or she has already taken the plunge into a new relationship and wants to go out to meet with his or her lover.

• Do you feel that you sit together to talk but do not know what to talk about anymore? This is one sign that most people tend to ignore for a very long time. Conversations might not be easy as they used to be and it might seem like an effort to share or talk about issues. The easiest way for people to deal with this situation is to turn on the television. However, distracting yourself from the real problem and not discussing it can make the problem worse off.

• Showing affection is an integral part of a marriage. People in troubled marriages fail to show physical affection. In addition, your sexual life might not be very active. There are times when a partner will fail to show any kind of interest in sexual intimacy. This could either mean that your partner has become physically detached from you or that his or her sexual needs are being fulfilled elsewhere.

• People in failing marriages will do their best to avoid family lunches or dinners. The distant nature of their marriage becomes so obvious that they tend to avoid their family so that they can be spared of any prying eyes.