Break-up to make-up
Warning: time apart could rescue your relationship
Barely a week goes by without a celebrity couple announcing their 'separation'. But often, the news of a celebrity separation is just a polite way of saying that they're on non-speaking terms and their relationship has totally broken down beyond repair.
However, in the real world, a separation need not signify the end, but the start of a healing process - a positive move towards saving a relationship that has hit the rocks.
Why separate?
If your relationship has reached crisis point, taking a break from each other can be the answer to your problems. Yes, it's good to hang on in there and solve the problems together, but if the relationship has become too stressful and tense for you to cope with, separation can help.
If one or both of you are undergoing serious life changes - perhaps coming to terms with a job crisis, family illness or bereavement - you may need time apart in order to come to terms with the changes. John Thaw famously separated from his wife Sheila during her fight with breast cancer as he needed time to come to terms with her illness.
If you're not sure where the relationship is going and you want to know if your life would improve if you were apart, then consider living separately for an agreed period of time. The separation can remind you of why you fell in love; what you love about each other and can demonstrate that you are happier and more fulfilled together than apart - even if the relationship goes through difficult patches. However, the separation can also demonstrate that break-up is the wisest route for one or both of you.
Barely a week goes by without a celebrity couple announcing their 'separation'. But often, the news of a celebrity separation is just a polite way of saying that they're on non-speaking terms and their relationship has totally broken down beyond repair.
However, in the real world, a separation need not signify the end, but the start of a healing process - a positive move towards saving a relationship that has hit the rocks.
Why separate?
If your relationship has reached crisis point, taking a break from each other can be the answer to your problems. Yes, it's good to hang on in there and solve the problems together, but if the relationship has become too stressful and tense for you to cope with, separation can help.
If one or both of you are undergoing serious life changes - perhaps coming to terms with a job crisis, family illness or bereavement - you may need time apart in order to come to terms with the changes. John Thaw famously separated from his wife Sheila during her fight with breast cancer as he needed time to come to terms with her illness.
If you're not sure where the relationship is going and you want to know if your life would improve if you were apart, then consider living separately for an agreed period of time. The separation can remind you of why you fell in love; what you love about each other and can demonstrate that you are happier and more fulfilled together than apart - even if the relationship goes through difficult patches. However, the separation can also demonstrate that break-up is the wisest route for one or both of you.
iVillage Recommends Summer Dresses
RATE IT
You need the newest version of Macromedia Flash Player to view this feature. Download the Flash plug-in at http://www.macromedia.com.
Socialise with us
Bag a bargain on twitter with iVillageBargain
Download the iVillage UK toolbar
