I’m not referring to a real “break” that lasts a few weeks and sometimes several months (my personal opinion on those is, they just mean the relationship should be over). But, sometimes you need a few days and as much as one week apart to get back into a flow with one another. Like these times.
You’ve neglected your friends
Are you guilty of spending all your time with your partner that you simply forget to see your friends? Are your friends mad about this? Of course they are! Not only will that guilt affect your happiness with your partner, but it’s important to have other people in your life other than your partner. It’s healthy. If your friends voice that they feel neglected, show them 110% of your attention for a few days. Clear a couple of days just to see friends. You don’t even want there to be the risk of saying, “I better get a move on. I’ve got to meet my boyfriend.” Demonstrate that you cleared your schedule for them because you care very much about them.
When only time can heal a fight
Sometimes you’ve said everything you can say, however your partner continues to be feeling the leftover effects of a fight. If you stay by their side and continuously apologize or are blatantly attempting to be super sweet to make them forget things faster, they will only become irritated with you. If you find yourself in this position, just go away for a couple of days.
When you’ve neglected yourself
Cuddling and shacking up is a lot more fun than creating business cards, emailing resumes and overall working on your own goals. That’s the reason many people in new relationships forget their goals. If you see this happening, take a week to get things in order and get the ball rolling again! My pal had just moved to become a voice coach in LA, and then she fell in love. She’d barely begun working up her roster of clients when she started spending all her time with her new boyfriend. Suddenly, she realized that not only was she not making enough money because she wasn’t teaching enough singing lessons, but she was also passing up on her passion, which was helping people learn how to sing. She asked for a week away from her boyfriend and felt a great deal better when she began working more.
When you’re in a bad mood
Sometimes we all get in moods that simply need to evaporate in time, but if we hang around people when we’re in them, we will unintentionally begin fights and take our moods out on others. So many pointless arguments start in relationships because one person wouldn’t just recognize they needed some alone time. So learn how to recognize when that is for you.
