Ten signs a marriage is in trouble

For most of my life, I’ve driven old cars with high-mileage. I guess I’ve always been too cheap to drive something new. Because my cars haven’t been brand new, I’ve had to pay extra close attention to the warning lights on the dashboard. Those warning lights are usually the first sign that something is wrong under the hood, and if I ignore it for very long, I could find my self stranded with a broken car by the side of the road.

Just like cars have warning lights, I’ve come to learn that marriages have “warning lights” as well. There are some specific and common warning signs that signal a marriage might be in trouble. This list is compiled from the interviews and interactions my wife Ashley and I have had with couples from all over the world and it also includes some insights from marriage researchers Shaunti Feldhahn, Dr. Greg Smalley and the book The 7 Principles for Making Marriage Work by Dr. John Gottman.

This list below isn’t meant to create paranoia or unnecessary stress in your marriage; it’s simply meant to help you identify some common, early warning signs so you can take action to help the marriage before it’s too late. If your marriage is currently struggling or if you feel alone in your marriage with little or no support, effort or affection from your spouse, please check out our new program with support and solutions for struggling couples at FightingForMyMarriage.com.

10 signs a marriage is in trouble (in no particular order):

1.Your communication with each other usually takes on a negative or defensive tone, so nearly every conversation turns into an argument.

The tone of your words says a lot about the overall tone of your marriage. Even the healthiest couples disagree, BUT if your marriage consistently takes on a tone of negativity, sarcasm, accusation, criticism, vulgarity or indifference, it’s a warning sign that the relationship is broken.