5 Signs Your Friendship Has Turned Into A Serious Emotional Affair
The majority of emotional affairs start out as friendships with no goal or strategy to grow the relationship beyond friendship.
It’s crucial to realize that even if such affairs don’t cross the line and get physical, the consequences can be just as destructive and put your marriage or relationships in jeopardy.
When a person falls in love with another person, but the relationship does not include a sexual act it’s called an emotional affair. If the emotional affair continues, it will almost always progress to a sexual affair.
Here are five indicators that you’re having an emotional relationship (and you need to stop)
You have talks that you don’t want your spouse or partner to know about.
Do you keep your phone hidden (or purchase a new one) in order to keep your email and phone passwords private? These are indicators that the “friendship” line has been crossed.
You find yourself thinking about this person or making plans with them.
Do you find yourself thinking about this individual all the time? Are they on your mind before you go to bed, when you wake up, and throughout the majority of the day? Do you think about them and look for occasions to chat with them while you’re alone? You start blaming your spouse for behaviours, attitudes, or approaches to circumstances that were never a problem and have always existed in the relationship. Your tolerance for your partner begins to wane, and they irritate you, causing you to believe that this individual understands you far better than your spouse ever could or could. If you find yourself feeling more attached to a friend than to your own spouse, you need to make some changes.
You’ve lost interest in having sexual relations with your partner.
For starters, when we’re emotionally invested in someone, we tend to regard them as people with few problems. As a result, our partner’s imperfections become much more apparent, and we become critical of them and their habits, subconsciously comparing them to our friends. While looking your best at work or going out isn’t a problem, doing so for a specific person is a different story. It all starts in the mind when it comes to being visually appealing to another individual. Dressing up for a friend requires a lot of emotional energy and thought, which indicates that the bond is more than just a passing acquaintance. Do you let your imagination run wild with romantic ideas about your friend once you’ve dressed up? The following step in the growth of an emotional affair is generally daydreaming and preparing a new life with our companion.
This mental picture with our friend is developing into a relationship that we believe would be considered superior to our current connection. When you focus your attention on creating a fantasy, it’s not long until the fantasy becomes a reality.
You’re not spending as much time with your partner as you used to.
Do you spend less time with your partner now that your friendship has grown into a more important aspect of your life? Are you confiding in a friend instead of your partner about personal issues, feelings, and thoughts? Do you set up situations where you’re likely to run into a friend and the opportunity to speak with them appears natural? Do you look for reasons to speak with them?
Do you rush to tell your friend about anything spectacular that happens in your life, whether good or bad? While having a wonderful friend is admirable, the issue arises when you begin to share less with your companion. If what you used to provide to your relationship has diminished or been totally transferred to this other person, this is an indication that an emotional affair is underway.
You lie and keep secrets.
Are you keeping your friendship a secret? Do you try to spend as little time as possible with your partner? Do you leave out information regarding meetings, private meals, or phone conversations? Do you keep your passwords, phone numbers, and social media accounts hidden from your partner? Do you erase evidence from your phone, lie about your whereabouts, or deny contacting your friend?
An emotional affair is bad because it can gradually separate you from your partner without you realizing it. If you having an emotional affair with someone of the opposite sex, end it as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will quickly lead you down the path of a physical affair.