You know things in your relationship just are not working anymore. You’ve tried everything you can think of to fix things, but nothing has worked. You’re still in love, and it’s so hard to end it. And knowing that it’s time to end it doesn’t make it any easier.

Breaking up with someone is usually just as difficult to face as being broken up with! Here are ten reasons why it’s difficult to end a committed, romantic relationship.

  1. There’s history involved. As you start thinking of how to end the relationship, you’re overcome by all of your good memories together and force out your thoughts of all of the bad things that are going on. You do have a lot of history together. But if the bad times outweigh the good, that probably means that it’s time to end it.
  2. You feel a sense of security from what’s familiar. If you’ve been in the relationship for a long time, you’re probably grown quite comfortable being together. You know how to co-exist, and you know what makes the other persom tick. The prospect of having to start over from scratch and find someone new is not very appealing to you at all.
  3. You are waiting for things to get better in the relationship. Sometimes, it feels like you’re standing out in the dry desert, waiting futilely for it to rain. It might happen, right? If things get worse every time you thought you have already hit rock bottom in the relationship, it’s time to stop waiting and to end the relationship.
  4. Leaving the relationship means you are leaving other people, too. The longer you were together in the relationship, the more your familial circles and social circles overlap. Over time, you bond and create relationships with the people who are close each other. If you end the romantic relationship, you’re also ending relationships with each other’s friends and family, making the loss even greater.
  5. You like being in a relationship. You don’t want to be single, so you want to be in a relationship–any relationship. You love the feeling of being in a relationship, But you know you can’t stay in your current relationship. It’s hurting you more than it’s helping you, so it’s time to end it. You should not ever be in a relationship simply for the sake of being in a relationship. To make it worth staying in, the relationship should be a good one that is healthy.
  6. You don’t want to just give up on everything you’ve been fighting for. It’s hard to give up what you’ve been putting all that effort into and work so hard to save. You certainly don’t want to face the fact that it all was for nothing, and the relationship is ending anyways. But it’s not worth it to wear yourself out working for the relationship if it’s time to end it.
  7. You fear you will never be able to find someone else. And, you fear the other person will find someone better than you, and therefore forget about you. There are plenty of other people out there who can make either of you just as happy, if not happier. Don’t ever believe there isn’t someone else out there for you, because there certainly is. If this relationship isn’t working, there’s someone else that it will work with. Finding someone else doesn’t erase the good things the two of you shared.
  8. You fear being alone. The fear of loneliness is one of the worst possible reasons for choosing to stay in a relationship. Even when you’re in a relationship that’s healthy, you should experience feelings of strength and independence. Your significant other is not the only other person on the planet who is there for you. You had your friends and family before you were in the relationship, and you’ll have them afterwards, too.
  9. You’re concerned that you will feel regret after ending the relationship. First, you shouldn’t stress about things that have yet to happen. You have no way of knowing how you will feel after it’s over. It’s even possible that you will feel relieved. Second, you won’t feel regret over a decision that you know is a good one. It may not be quite what you hoped for. But the relationship needs to end, and that is what’s most important.
  10. You don’t want to lose the friendship you have with your ex. One of the worst parts of leaving someone we’re in a romantic relationship with is the fear of completely losing touch with that person. Aside from them being your romantic partner, they were also your friend. If the romantic relationship is irreparable, then the time has come to end it. If it’s meant for you to be friends, you will be.