“Letting go is hard, but sometimes holding on is harder.”
That’s a quote I heard a while back. I don’t remember who said it, but I can name more than a few men Inside the Haven who would agree with that statement, tears in their eyes.
Let’s look at the facts…
Fact #1. We know that your wife wants out of the marriage.
Whether she’s having an affair, going through a midlife crisis, coping with depression, or just plain isn’t happy, the end result is she wants out of the marriage.
Fact #2. We know that you cannot control your wife.
You cannot force her to change her mind about the marriage. You can’t “convince” her to come back or have a change of heart. You can give her a good incentive to come back by being a wonderful, loving husband, but you can’t force her to want that incentive enough to change her mind. Many times, she won’t even recognize that incentive exists.
So, if your wife wants out of the marriage, and you can’t control your wife, where does that leave us? What needs to happen in order for your marriage to be saved?
Your Wife Must Choose to Come Back on Her Own
You’ve probably heard that saying…
“If you love someone, set them free… If they comes back, it was meant to be; if they don’t, they were never yours.”
This is never truer or more applicable than when your wife wants out of the marriage.
Just think about it…
- Do you want to be married to a woman who only stays with you because she feels too trapped to leave?
- Do you want a wife who only stays with you because she’s too scared to get divorced and live alone?
- Can you have a lifelong happy marriage with a woman who is only with you because it makes more financial sense to do so?
No, no and no!
Ultimately, your marriage is only going to work if your wife wants to be with you.
This mindset is all about focusing on what you can control and putting yourself in the best position for her to start seeing you differently.
In order to ever have the type of joyful, lifelong marriage that you want, eventually you need a wife who chooses to be with you, who loves you, who wants you. You want a woman who sees the man you are and WANTS to be with that man.
If you like this post…
The Let Her Go Mindset is the very first thing I teach in Peace & Control, my separation survival course for men. If you like this post and want me to teach you more about surviving your separation with the best possible chance of reconciliation, click the link above and go check it out.
Working Backwards to Your Marriage
What we’re really doing here is working backwards. We’re saying, “What would your ideal future marriage look like?” and then we’re working back from there.
In your ideal marriage, you are the kind of man you want to be, and your wife loves and chooses that man.
So, what things MUST happen in order to get to that point? It’s pretty straightforward…
In order to get that marriage for yourself, two things need to happen:
- You must become the man that YOU want to be
- Your wife must recognize that man and choose to love him
You can control #1 – you can identify the kind of man you want to be and you can take steps to become and remain that man every day for the rest of your life.
You cannot control #2 – the most you can do is enable your wife to make her own independent choice to come back to the marriage by putting her in the best position to do so. This is where the let her go mindset comes in.
Make no mistake… #2 is crucial. Your wife has to CHOOSE to come back to the marriage. She has to CHOOSE to love the man you want to be.
You will NOT have a long-term happy marriage if…
If the only reason your wife stays married to you is because she feels too trapped to leave, or because she’s too scared to live life alone or because it makes more financial sense to do so.
The ONLY way you will have a happy, loving marriage over the long-term is…
If your wife makes a choice that she WANTS to be with you, or at least that she’s willing to try. That is the only solution to this separation. There are no other magic answers.
I know I’m repeating myself a little bit here, but this is extremely important. You have to understand this core requirement that stands between you and a happy marriage.
So, What is the Let Her Go Mindset? How Do You Do It?
I’ve been helping men through marriage crisis for over ten years now.
- Over 100,000 men have subscribed to receive the exclusive lessons I send to my email subscribers.
- I’ve professionally coached 150+ men through their separation.
- I’ve personally helped or advised over 2,000 men in the midst of their marriage crises.
- Separation, divorce, infidelity, midlife crisis, spousal mischief, mental illness… I’ve seen it all.
I’ve seen many separations end in reconciliation and many end in divorce.
Some men handle separation very poorly and some men handle it very well…
- I’ve seen men spiral out of control to the point that they attempt suicide after a few days living in a cordial in-house separation.
- I’ve seen men stay strong, confident and at peace after months of enduring their wife’s ongoing affair and emotional abuse.
What’s the difference between these men? What do you do if you find yourself in that first category?
The truth is, when most men start out, they don’t “get it”. They don’t have the optimal mindset for coping with separation… They have to learn it and work to apply it. Sometimes it’s a bit messy.
If you’ve been that guy who has completely spiraled out of control, it’s okay. It doesn’t mean you’re a failure – it just means you need to keep learning and keep working.
The men I’ve seen “separate well” – the guys who remained calm, confident and at peace even as their marriage was falling apart – they all did it by getting to a point where they were happy with the man they saw in the mirror.
I’m not saying every single one of these men got their marriage back. Many of them did, but many of them are now divorced.
It’s not that the men who got their marriage back did a better job than the ones that didn’t; both groups of men worked equally hard to become the type of husband they wanted to be. It’s just that some of their wives made the choice to come back and some of them didn’t.
It’s About Accepting What You Can & Can’t Control
At its core, the “let her go” mindset is based on the fact that you cannot go into this situation trying to control your wife or change her mind because those things are out of your control.
In fact, the outcome of this separation is out of your control. There is no way to guarantee that your separation will end in reconciliation.
If your plan to get your wife back is to “convince her” to change her mind or to “earn” her love with changes in yourself, there is a frustrating and futile road ahead of you.
To be clear…
- I’m not saying you should give up on your marriage.
- I’m definitely not saying you should give up on being the best husband you can be.
- I am saying that you must stop trying to control what you can’t.
NO MATTER WHERE YOU’RE AT IN YOUR SEPARATION, YOU NOW HAVE TWO SIMPLE GOALS:
No matter what kind of separation you’re going through, no matter what you or your wife has done to get you to this point in your marriage, you have two simple goals:
Goal #1. Figure out what kind of man YOU want to be and work hard to become that man
Goal #2. Develop clarity in what you can and can’t control to be at peace with your decisions
And in order to do either of those things, you have to be focused on what you can control. Read this carefully:
Once you have peace over yourself and clarity over your circumstances, you will be able to make optimal decisions throughout your separation.

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Almost everything you will learn on Husband Help Haven about separation will go back to one of these two points.
Let Her Come to You
I want you to pay very close attention to this:
If the love of your life wants out of the marriage, there inevitably comes a point where the best way to prove that you love her more than yourself is by NOT trying to convince her back.
We’ll talk more about when exactly that point comes and how to handle it later in the book. For now, start preparing yourself for when that day comes.
Right now, your wife is probably asking for space. Even if she hasn’t come out and asked, her actions are telling you she doesn’t feel close to you and doesn’t particularly want to either.
If you spend too long trying to “get her back” without seeing any results… If you keep trying to convince her to go to counseling, or to work on the marriage, or that you’ve changed, but she never agrees to any of it… Eventually she’s going to feel trapped.
For the overwhelming majority of wives who have come to the point where they want out of their marriage, even if you make immediate changes in your behavior to step up as a husband, they still need time and space to see those changes or believe they’re real.
So, give your wife time. Give her space.
What’s the opposite of trying to get your wife to come back?
Let her come to you.
And that’s exactly what you should be doing right now.
Some guys will take to this more than others, and it’s more important in some separations than others. Again, we’ll talk more about what things you can and should be doing in this area later in the book. For now, just know that this is what you’re working towards… Let her go so that she can come to you on her own.
Don’t Deny the Worst Case Scenario is Possible
I have seen many, many men over the years who have gone through their entire separation refusing to acknowledge that it could end in divorce.
Most of the time, these men end up extremely frustrated because they put so much work into the marriage and see nothing in return. In their mind, even when they admit they need to give her space, even when they say they are abandoning ulterior motives, secretly they are still doing everything they do because they hope and expect that it will make their wife come back.
Don’t get me wrong – you should hold onto your hope and your faith in your marriage. After all, hope is all that any husband in your shoes has to work with right now. Keep hoping and hoping and hoping for her to change her mind.
… However, you also need to recognize this:?
One of the best ways to set yourself up for an extremely painful and difficult separation is to refuse to admit that divorce is a possibility.
Expectations often serve as predetermined resentments.
Most of the time, you will tell yourself you are maintaining this stubborn expectation because you “refuse to give up on the marriage”.
Conversely, many times the men who refuse to give up on their marriage are secretly using this determination as a mask for their fear or self-interest.
Get this into your head now:?
Acknowledging the possibility of divorce does NOT mean giving up on the marriage. It just means that you’re aware that the outcome of divorce is not entirely yours to stop. It is physically possible that the outcome of this separation will be divorce.
Look – this is not a rule book!
If you have an immense problem with accepting that divorce could happen, if you cannot bring yourself to think in any way that comes even remotely close to “giving up” on a moral basis, then I respect that and I encourage you to maintain that mindset with confidence. Like I said, if hope is all you’ve got, do whatever you need to do to maintain that hope.
I’m just telling you what I’ve seen happen with other men who maintain this forced expectation of reconciliation in their marriage – they end up frustrated.
In the end, the best approach I’ve found is to adopt the age-old adage:
Hope for the best; prepare for the worst.
Again, I am NOT telling you to give up on your marriage. This mindset is all about focusing on what you can control and putting yourself in the best position to remain as the man you want to be no matter what happens in your marriage.
No matter what mindset you adopt, continue to hope that your marriage will be restored! Don’t let yourself become bitter or resentful in order to make it easier to accept; you don’t need that crutch.
The fact is, if you’re reading this book, your marriage may end in divorce. Some of you are already divorced.
You don’t have to sugarcoat it… You don’t have to try and find a way around it… You don’t have to pretend that you are 100% confident your marriage will succeed…
And yes, accepting that divorce might happen is painful. But just because it’s painful doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. And that brings us to our next point…
Letting Her Go is the Only Win-Win You’ve Got Left
“You mean accepting that my wife might choose to leave the marriage is a win-win? How the heck do you figure that, Stephen?!”
Well, just think about it…
It’s a win because letting her go is your best chance at getting your wife to CHOOSE to come back to the marriage.
Most of the time, the more your distant wife feels that you are trying to change her mind, the more stubbornly she will tell herself she’s made the right decision.
On the other hand, when you give her space… When you show her that your love is genuine to the point that you want her to be happy even if it’s not with you… That’s when you allow her to see you through unbiased eyes. When the pressure is really off, that’s when she can start to see all these changes you’re making as genuine and permanent.
It’s also a win because if she never makes the choice to come back, you have a head start on coping with the worst-case scenario. This will make transitioning into the next part of your life MUCH easier.
If you’ve already accepted that she might choose to get a divorce weeks or months before the divorce is finalized… If you’ve been living your life independently as the man you want to be… It’s going to be much easier to transition into the next chapter of your life.
Letting Go of Your Wife is Rooted in Love
On some level, most of the men who will struggle with the Let Her Go mindset believe that accepting she might not come back is too much like giving up.
Maybe this is what you’re thinking right now…
“Stephen, if I give up at all, then there’s no hope for the marriage because I’m the only one trying to make it work. In other words, if I’m not trying to fix the marriage and my wife isn’t trying to fix the marriage, then the marriage is over, right?”
It’s certainly understandable to have that objection. It’s easy to see how “letting her go” feels like giving up hope.
But know this: the Let Her Go mindset is NOT hopeless.
Just the opposite – this mindset is deeply rooted in love for your wife. In fact, your love for your wife is what motivates you to take this mindset in the first place! Just think about it:
- You KNOW that you can make your wife happy and keep her happy for the rest of her life.
- You are determined to continue working to be the best husband, father and man that you can be – the type of man you want to be.
- You love her with all your heart, and your deepest, deepest hope is that she will see what it is that can make her happiest (you & the marriage) so that you can give yourself to her 100%.
But, you cannot force her to make that decision.
Why?
Because love forced isn’t love at all.
Right now, you are afraid to accept the loss of your wife’s love for you.
This is the natural reaction when the woman you love tells you she no longer feels the same way.
But, as you let this fear of losing her love rule your life, what you don’t realize is that the love you’re afraid of losing is already gone and it’s been gone for a while.
At this point, you’re not trying to prevent her from losing her love for you; you’re trying to get it back. You are courting her, but in a much different way than you did before your marriage. However, just like the day that you proposed to your wife, you can ask the question, you can hope she joins you, but ultimately you can’t control the answer and you wouldn’t want to even if you could. Because again…
Love forced is not love at all.
In the end, letting go of your wife isn’t about “being realistic”…
It’s about coming to an understanding of what you really want and what love really means.
If you’re reading this, if you’re a subscriber or a listener or a reader or a student or a client, you have done and will do everything you possibly can to be the best husband and father and man you can be.
You KNOW that.
I know that.
That part isn’t up for debate.
Right now, you are waiting with open arms for your wife because that is under your control. And you WANT your wife to love you and to come back to a relationship with you, not just for your own and your family’s happiness, but for hers too.
But, you also know that it must be her choice, because otherwise it won’t stick.
By accepting that the future of your marriage rests on your wife’s choice to come back to it, you recognize that yes, there is a chance she might make the choice to divorce, and that will be heartbreaking. All the more so because you KNOW how happy you could make her. You don’t have to pretend that, “Yeah, my wife might not come back, but it’s okay, I won’t be sad. Instead I’ll just be happy and life will be roses and this whole thing will just be awesome!!”
You don’t have to pretend it doesn’t hurt. That’s not healthy or realistic.
You can allow yourself to be afraid of your wife making the choice to divorce and still relinquish control. Because after all that, the upside is worth it… If she DOES choose to come back, oh how joyful that will be! Oh how much love the two of you will be able to share!
The only way to the marriage of your dreams lies in letting your wife choose to join you in it.
… And that’s where the “let her go to get her back” mindset comes from.

From “She wants out” to “We’re working on it” in 7 steps
FREE GUIDE
A simple 15-minute read could transform how you think about saving your marriage... This free guide shows you the exact steps your wife must go through before she starts working on the relationship with you.
95 comments
SK
im not done reading all of this but i will begin my journey here as i am heading into separation
i have accepted this is a requirement that we really do need to go through so each of us can find each other. and i am working heavy to get myself in the right space and build new habits. i am not there at all and only at the beginning but this article has help so much to get me on the right track of thinking.
just want to say thank you and would love to reply back when i had made it further.
Miguel Raya
This last June 21st was my 30th anniversary. Well, I asked her to leave on the 8th. No respect, coming home late at night, no calls, no texts, no answering to any of mine. It’s been a living nightmare for almost 3 years. Always asking for space, no communication. Sleeping apart like a dog. Not knowing if I’m worth a hug, or a kiss. Intimacy went from a fabulous 5 times a week, to 2, to 1. Then now, to none. I’ve learned a lot about women’s midlife crisis. 3 to 5 years it’s the average length of duration. But I couldn’t take it anymore. I was going insane. Trying to balance family life, then a very demanding job. With almost no sleep. That wasn’t living. Our 4 children are older than 21. They don’t feel the pain. She calls them and everything seem to be all sunny and roses with them. But not with me. I’m the enemy. I don’t have any intention for getting married again. For that reason I’m not pursuing a divorce. I’m waiting from home and see how things shape up. It’s true, it hurts to be alone. But the pain eases with time. One of my kids drowned at age 2. I suffered an immense pain. But time healed it. I know it’ll be the same here. In case she never comes back. She does come at times and cooks for the 3 of us still at home. But then she leaves again. This is the 2nd time I tell her to go and fix her head. We’re doing really good financially. Everything is paid for. And I was looking for a beautiful retirement in the not so distant future. But I hope we can survive this turbulent time in life. Someone said before in one of the comments. We all as men, should be informed by some cleric, or law assigned individual. On the day we sign our marriage license. That the woman we’re marrying to, will some day become an alien. And that life as we know it will cease to be. All I can say is: I love my wife, she’s been with me in all the good and bad times of my brief life. She deserves my ultimate efforts to be here when she wakes up of the numbness. I know it’s against the odds, against family, or friends advice. I’m working on myself, staying busy at work and at home, working out like always, meeting new people. Maybe someone will help me change my mind. For now I’ll wait. Every one of us men are different, I wish the best for all of you. It sucks to go through this stuff. Thanks for this forum and for the opportunity to learn from each story. So many of them. Life is short, let’s go out there and see the world ourselves. If our companions comeback it’ll be a day of joy. But if they don’t. We’ll, so be it. Let’s move on. Let’s be thankful with the things that we have. And the good people around us. I send you a warm hug of comfort. I need it now so bad….
Nick
Thank you. This is the hardest thing I’ve done. I just want to fix everything and it’s like she’s completely checked out… She’s asked for space and I left and it’s just so easy to text her and it’s hard not to talk to her about every little thing that’s going on. I’ll give her space, I just hope it helps. God Im praying I can do ANYTHING to fix this. She’s my soulmate, she’s everything and I just want to fix this
Jon
Stephen,
I can’t thank you, or any of you, enough for sharing your advice and your stories… it makes the loneliness seem not so permanent. My wife moved out a few months ago after six years of marriage and eight years of us being best friends. We faced three bad pregnancies over the years and she had an affair last year and again this year. The last few weeks I have been a complete wreck.. the thoughts of losing her are almost too much to bear… but just yesterday I started to come to terms with reality and see that she really doesn’t want to be around me right now and has a life on her own without me. Two very hard things to accept..
After reading this material and really processing what I’ve been doing and what she’s been doing.. I am confidant that I can start letting go and start focusing on being the best version of me I can be. Whether or not that plays out to a rekindled love and long lasting marriage with my wife I don’t know, but it’s time to stop being desperate and start feeling better.
Thank you all so much for sharing what I know to be such an extremely difficult part of our lives.
johnnyT
SE’s reply earlier really rang true for me (and your response Stephen). This site has been a HUGE positive resource (and kept me sane at times)…. I DON’T fear being alone, or change or moving on. The situation with my wife just feels like unfinished business. I HAVE worked on myself, getting back to my best me. I know what caused the issue (I’m lucky in that respect). Its not an abusive relationship.
Sorry all – its a long one!
My wife are living under the same roof. About to separate. I’ve spent months looking inward at myself (thank you Stephen – your road map IS amazing). The main impact on us was financial. My wife grew up in a single parent household. She has a deep need for financial stability due to growing up in very poor conditions. Her mother is very emotionally unavailable and that is what my wife has learnt. We were very happy when we met and when we were married. I was also happy with who I was at that stage (what I am working myself toward). I started a business that went very badly. I took her savings and ploughed them into the business. The business went down. I did sell a property and put the money back, but the damage was done. She could no longer trust me to put our family first. Selling the property meant we could not get a family home (we have two children). I was working when they were born when I should have supported her (even though she said at the time she didn’t need my help). This was 4 years ago it all happened. The business of life Made time pass. The lockdown brought it all to a head. She says she doesn’t love me. She is not attracted to to me. She had lost respect for me (I said that as I know its the truth). I stopped being the man she fell in love with those 4 years ago and became the third child (letting her run the family and make all the decisions thinking that would make her happy). I now know I should have been who I was, who she married… a leader… I know what went wrong. I know how to make things better. But she is very distant. Her mind is made up. This goes back to SE comment of her making the wrong decision.
Because of her upbringing she is very unforgiving. She has never forgiven me for the taking of her savings. She hoped her disappointment would “go away”. I asked for councilling 2 years ago to address the elephant in the room saying I know she has never forgiven me. I can live without my wife. I know that. Time heals etc I don’t fear change or moving on. What I WANT is my family to stay together. I WANT (don’t NEED) and LOVE my wife. I know what we can have again if only she would try and meet me halfway. She see’s ME as the debt so to get away from it. She needs to get away from me.
Some quick headlines.
1. There is no third party. She has never forgiven me for the financial failure (I’m not sure she knows how to forgive). She says on paper I am her “perfect man” but doesn’t trust me or respect e. The attraction has gone (but there can’t be attraction without trust and respect… two things that can be earnt with forgiveness).
2. I changed all those years ago. I am a better husband and father because of what happened years ago. She won’t ask herself any of the questions she needs to. I have spent the last three months reflecting on everything. I need to change but so does she. My happiness is important too. Its all so muddy… she is very black and white whereas I try to look at myself, the root causes, and put a plan together. She is a slave to her feelings (or lack of them) and doesn’t question them at all.
3. My wife wants to move out. I asked if she wanted a divorce. She said no “that’s too final”. Just space to create “financial stability for her and the kids” (we both have good jobs but live somewhere beyond our means so moving out will Improve things financially). I asked if we are free to see other people during the separation. She said she doesn’t want to (I don’t want to). I know the separation is an oppprtunity for her to see me in a different light… but I am fearful of all the things someone I’m position would be. She gets used to me not being there. Meets someone else etc there is no animosity. Which makes it harder in some ways!? ?????
I have really been honest with myself, also worked on returning to who I was (and when I was at my most happiest with who i was – the man she married)… I am frustrated by her lack to really talk about things. We have had 3 “big” conversations… and we are always closer after? Then the shutters came back down.
I have been feeling very frustrated lately. I take responsisbility for why we are here. To be clear… my frustration comes from her complete lack of willingness to even talk about it in depth, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain by trying. I am not even talking about NOT separating. Lets just meet in the middle and see where it goes. I CAN move on IF I know we really tried and its just too late. Sometimes in life you just need to accept the consequences. Some things can’t be undone. I do feel deep down its a mid life crisis, her upbringing and no fear of raising the children on her own) coupled with what actually happened… I honestly feels she needs help on how to love, how to forgive… there has always been emotional armour from her upbringing. The pragmatist in me knows you can’t “sell” someone on why they should love you, nor would I want to live a lie by having someone with me who doesn’t want to be there. I just know – with the right help… we could get back to where we were. My frustration is we have a family. Isn’t the effort for them, worth it? If she tried, really tried… and it can’t be saved. I could accept that? But I also feel she is trapped in seeing my every flaw instead of my positives. This has become obvious recently in some interactions where her reactions seem hugely over the top!?
Then I also know if she leaves I can step up financially in helping support her/my children which would work toward her perception of my financial irresponsibility. Its completley against my DNA not to control, push, solve, drive… giving her space. I am really trying to think about what she needs. ITs hard to stay “up” when you are still under the same roof!! BUT … this website and the course has really helped me!! so thank you Stephen and everyone that posts!!
Sani
Thank you for the article Stephen. This really helps. As I write this now my wife is packing up and getting ready to leave for her home country tomorrow. Everything just went downhill in an instant yesterday. This is it, and the difficult reality just showed up at my front door. We’ve been married for a year and our anniversary is in a couple days. Her decision to leave is final and I don’t think we’ll ever talk to or see each other ever again. She has said over and over that she is the type that once she leaves she never looks back, and I’m slowly accepting that and being okay with it.
She is the WORLD to me and I love her dearly. I already miss her so much, but I respect her decision and her life and if she wants to go then I will let her go. But man it is so hard for me. This is so difficult even though I am still really young. My heart has been beating so fast and so hard this whole day it hurts. I am handling everything the best I possibly can.
Thanks again for the article. I hope everything works out for everyone else on here including myself. To all the struggling husbands who are reading this, take care of yourself and be strong.
Mary
She HAS to accept the man you want to be ????
Oh just like she HAD to accept how you neglected , ignored and too her for granted for years ..
That thinking is the reason she feels she HAS to get a divorce .
Think about that !
Stephen
The title of the article literally has the words “Let Her Go” in it. There’s nothing about forcing anything here, in fact I am saying the exact opposite. What you’re quoting there is me laying out a condition for a marriage being saved: the wife who wanted out must make a decision to come back, and that decision MUST be hers and hers alone.
Joshua drake
So grateful I came across this site. Speaks to my situation perfectly. I’ve tried my hardest to win her back and like you’ve said, only grown frustrated and hopeless. I’ve finally accepted that the divorce is going to happen and I’m establishing new habits to stay healthy. Encouraging to read others comments and know I’m not alone-and not crazy! Thank you Stephen!
Just me
You know, there is one thing here that really appears to be lacking. Based on various discussions with other colleagues that are going through this same situation, the one thing missing here is a simple true fact. Women are built to make babies, which means there are a lot of chemicals and biology working. It really seems that at some point, believe it or not, that biological clock gets out of whack. The best analogy is simply, that at some point with any car that has many miles, that engine is going to fail, no matter how much you take care of it or not. Honestly, there should be a public service announcement to all boys and men, that at some point when women get into their 40’s their biological clock fails and results in severe hormonal changes. This change causes rash decisions that ultimately lead to regret in their 50’s when the biological clock resets to normal. What does this all mean? Yep as partners both sides are at fault, things go wrong but they also go right. So its not anyone’s fault really. Unfortunately, that freaking biological clock absolutely impacts womens hormones and destroys them AND everyone around them including their husbands, children and friends. There is no one that is going to convince me otherwise. Its really ashame that this happens, honestly. Some of us men completely lose the ability to fix things. For example money that had been an issue for years finally gets resolved and surprise biological clock/hormonal distruption…marriage and kids completely destroyed. I’m sorry and wish this wasn’t true, but I’m afraid it is. I really would have appreciated someone, anyone telling me this could even remotely be a potential issue. Maybe I would have done things differently, but then again would it have made a difference. Either way, what an absolute shame when a womens body basically self-destructs her world.
Karan
Am I becoming the man I want to be for myself or for my wife?
The Judge
Ain’t that the truth!!!
Call it what you want: menopause, midlife crisis, empty nest syndrome….. It all seems to lead to one place, & it’s not good.
I’m not religious, so maybe someone could explain why god chose women to be like this?
Jonathan Farris
Thank you for your dedication to this subject. Truer words have never been read by me. For an opinion this is gold and very well thought out. Keep up the good work
Darcy
I really appreciate this article. It’s exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you!
Thomas
My wife and I are married for the past 16 years, We decided she and the kids should move to the city for the kids behalf because of schooling and that they will be able to get better help for my Son that is struggling with his grades. So I am renting them a house given my car and my wife two thirds of my income to live comfortable wile I am away at work and still supporting both her parents and brother living with me. After about a month I noticed she tries to break all contact with me. After about 2 weeks some on told me that they do not see any photos of me on her Facebook profile any more only of her and the kids with commends she is getting stronger and independent. One morning she phoned me and told me she wants a separation.
She now does not speak to me and I can still see the kids but she’s always some were else, She wants me to still pay everything with the income and to support her family so the kids wont notice anything is wrong.
What to DO
Eugene
Wow, so nice to know I am not the only one. My wife deleted me on facebook and samething, wants me to pay for the house, kar and everything else as I’ve done for the last 10 years… But she is not sure she can give me the same commitment and wants some space.. As soon as I talk about being fair and stop all payments she accuse me of manipulation???.. While she refuse to share the house and other assets “title deeds” with me… As long as I pay and keep quite she won’t make a noise. The problem I found is that I loved her too much and it is like giving candy to a child. Sounds harsh, but it is the truth. So I am stopping EVERYTHING as of 3 days ago.. It is the hardest thing I ever have to do, but I know my God is with me and I am worth it!!.. Good luck with yours.. Hope you are okay and found the leader in you are worth more than anything else..
Stephen
Honestly, this is a precarious situation that probably warrants talking to an attorney. I’m no legal expert, but I suspect that if you continue to support her financially (and everyone else that comes with her), you will remain on the hook for everything after the divorce, if it comes to that. Not where you want to be. I’m not saying you should necessarily file or anything like that, but you should definitely educate yourself on the consequences – whether good or bad – of the decisions you make during this time.
Anthony Frampton
Yes
James
Hi Stephen,
I’m not yet in the situation of separation or divorce. My wife has told me that she still loves me but is no longer in love with me. We have been together for 21 years since we were both 20 years old. We had our ups and downs but on the whole we have been happy and loving with each other. We have 2 wonderful boys and she says she doesn’t want us to split but live together as friends and raise our children. I’m really struggling with this concept. How can a marriage be a marriage without any intimacy? I have read your blogs and books and the main thing I’m having trouble with is the concept of letting her go. I love her so much, the thought of not being with her tears me apart. I’m shocked at how reliant I had become on her for me to be happy. I will take your advice and set a long term goal and start looking around at making myself happy outside the marriage. I’m a good person and with time I hope that she can see that I can be someone to make her happy again.
Thanks for everything
James.
Quinn
I feel pretty humbled by how many years some people commenting on here have on me, marriage wise. I have been so wrapped up in my own relationship, it’s hard to fathom having 20+ years in a relationship, or kids involved with such sad stuff. My wife(24) and I(28) have known each other for about 7 years but we lived together for 2 and have been married for about a year and a half. We’ve only just separated (Oct-2018) and nothing regarding a formal divorce has been processed. We saved and moved to WA in 2017 and now I’m back at home, trying to rebuild at my parent’s in CA. It was my idea to live there as I love the area and weather and the separation has just salted that wound.
I have written her a couple letters (and more than a few saved to my HD and never sent) and a final one on the plane ride home very crudely making my intent to change and be somebody she saw a future with a reality. I might not have known my actions and letter mirrored this article somewhat but I think I made it clear that my feelings for her overrode my own and I decided to leave her alone because it was what she felt was necessary. I still love her so much and giving her space and no contact is painful on a daily basis. There’s no joy, no light in my life right now but seeing this article at least has helped me see that bowing out isn’t a defeatist, hopeless decision. I know that working on myself is the objective regardless of how things turn out but it’s harder to use cold logic as a motivator every second of every day. I don’t truly believe that she no longer loves me and I know there will always be a ‘her’ shaped void in me but as this article has said, I can prove my sincerity by stepping aside because I want her to be happier.
old orange
Thank you for the information. I see how this makes logical sense, to a degree. It’s nice to know your mate is there because they really want to be, and it’s sad to have them there knowing they do not want to be… Yet what is the real point of marriage, and also marital vows, or even having ‘marriage’ for that matter, if both spouses only remain a spouse to their mate, if, and when, and only because they really ‘want to’.?
What man wants to have a spouse who wants to leave and return, and leave and return…? Now, after something like that occurs, I do not want to be in a marriage like that, and forgive and forget.
Chad
Hi Stephen, I wish i read all of this earlier. I have had a difficult couple of years, i lost many friends and close family in the last year or so, then earlier this year had the news that my one of my parents is terminally ill. During this time i knew i had the love and strength of my wife and children to keep me going. During this time i became emotional numb to everything i had, had enough of pain and suffering. Then i wasn’t there for my wife when she needed me to be. Six months later my wife, told me that she wasn’t happy.
At this point i decided to tackle my issues and start councilling in the hope that i can become strong enough to tackle our issues and work on our marriage. Six weeks later, i was trying to talk to her about everything i had been dealing with and that i loved her deeply. She had other plans, she told me she loves me, but no longer in love with me. This crushed me and i had an emotional breakdown, what i have now recovered form. Its only been six weeks sense my wife told that she loves me but not in love with me. Then told me to leave. During this time when i was emotional wreck, she has changed her answer to why each time, has sat there cuddling me, kissed me, has black mailed me and has just been plain nasty. She has constantly been flipping 180 on me, i don’t know which person i am going to get when we talk. During this time i have tried everything to hold on to my marriage and been knocked down each time. I have also really hit a nerve with my wife and she no longer wants to talk to me.
I have been reading a lot of different advice and have found yours to be best, for me at the moment. I have been reflecting a lot, i had been so blind to my wife i did not notice that she started to have a mid life crisis. I guess when i wasn’t there for her, she started down that path. I am now trying to give her all the space that she needs and distance. But finding giving her distance hard as i get to have our wonderful children at the weekends, what is keeping me going and that also means we need to talk each weekend. I am finding each week is getting easier, going to gym again every morning is helping and with the help of my councilor starting to feel strong again. At the minute i am a little lost, trying to work out what actually happen to my marriage, if it let this run it coarse hope she comes back or to reach out to her again in a few months in the new year? I keep telling myself hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
Petr
Hello all,
23 years with my wife, grown two teenage daughters. 14 months ago I found that my wife is cheating and dating with my best friend. This 14 months she is texting and dating with him. She has not left yet, but she is ocassionally living in her rent flat (for nights, but not spending nights with him). He is a quitter – living with his wife and he is afraid of her (she knows also 14 months whats going on). All the time he is emotionally blackmailing my wife: If you left him, I will the same day left her…
I live at home and get my everyday load of pain. But I don’t give up, trying to do my best. Approx. every 10 days I have one bad day with begging her and crying. I know this is the worst I can do, but in these bad days it is all stronger than me.
She said to me few times in last months that if I let it flow, it will be good. But it flows too long for me now. Or not?
I promised her this Sunday that after this months just now I full understand that everything is in her hands and I promised her that I will be calm and wait for her decision. 4 days Im fulfilling this promise.
I love her so much. As someone wrote here I’m proud of being with her 23 years because she is the best woman in the world. But every day and every night I’m afraid that she will left me.
Guys, please tell here, if anyone of you had the “good end” that I can hope for it too.
Thanks.
Mike Nelson
Thank you for this article. I never thought I’d be here, but here I am. My wife needs to feel independence and she is moving out. I have already let her go. She knows she has my blessings and my support, but she does know how I feel, that I don’t want to lose her…I’ll leave it at that, and hope she wants back in the future. This is still fairly new, so I still slip into a painful mode occasionally. I have also made plans for myself, to be productive and to occupy my time. What you wrote is exactly right, and helps me keep a proper perspective…thank you!!
Milad
Hi there,
My wife left me 6 weeks ago . She is done with me . It left me broken hearted.she took everything she belongs to her. Last week we went for lunch I didn’t talk about any personal stuffs. We had a good day . She said to me I was the worst gud I ever dated and be with. We still have some sort of communication. Letting her go is the best thing I can do. Thanks for the advice . I’m in a daily pain. I have been trying my best to be the best man I wanted to be . I still have hope but I don’t want to be disappointed at the same time .
AJ
Hi Stephen,
Great find and read. I am taking all of your advice seriously.
Me and my wife have been married for 1 1/2 years but together for 5 Years. We had a an agreement 1 month ago that we weren’t in love with each other and felt like we were living like roommates. We both agreed that the spark was not there anymore and there was a big disconnect. I feel like this is an emotional withdrawal between both of us. Definitely no infidelity. We love each other and care for each other but we needed to take a step back and work on each other. I had a really hard time opening up to her about feeling and emotions. My wife told me that she felt like this for a few months now and was bringing up the past about fighting and me not being there emotionally. It crushed me that were now on the verge of possibly losing what we built has me in a panic mode. I immediately started going to therapy and figuring myself out. Next few weeks we were still living together but she had a huge wall up. I had a few conversations with her and let her know that i don’t want to lose her and i want to work on our marriage. She went on and told me that she doesn’t know what she wants. She is very confused. Every time i spoke my feelings to her which i am learning to do, she is all over the place with her emotions saying she is not sure she wants to be married, needs space needs to be myself, she loves me but is confused. She refused marriage counseling but we are going to therapy individually. She might not be ready i hoping. I felt like i needed to leave the house as i felt that nothing is progressing and we agreed on the separation. I couldn’t be in the house trying to figure her out and wait for her. It is not fair to me. She has never been alone so i think that this is the best for both of us. Let her go and be patient. This was the hardest thing i had to do. I shedded so many tears and i just miss my wife so much and it hurts it came this far but i know it is not too late. It might be premature as we are only fully separated for a 1 week. I just want to do what is right and give her space and respect her time and most of all be patient. I don’t want to ruin to process. I have to respect it. We haven’t communicated in 5 days until a friendly text message exchange the other day. She gave me opening and asked how was i. I admit i have a lot to work on with my communication skills, expressing my feelings and emotions. Therapy is helping. She does see the changes and like you said and her telling her mother that she loves the changes i have been making and it was what she always wanted in me. She doesn’t trust it and thinks it might not be permanent. I am just taking it day by day and staying positive. As a guy experiencing a new worst feeling, i feel like me being separated i might be losing opportunities to communicate with my wife.
Stephen
I know it’s hard, but you’re on the right track here. Individual therapy is a great idea and I wish more men would do it. I would suggest reading this article about how to handle separation when you live apart. Either way, be patient and continue focusing on what you can control.
Brad
Back in October my wife whom I married out of high school and have been with through ups and downs sat me down and said what do I need to do to make this work. after she told me that I said ok lets give this a shot. She started acting funny and snapped out at me over non sense so I checked her phone and she was bragging to her friend that some guy kissed her. I blew up and kicked her out and she went to him for comfort. She came back the next day and said she doesn’t like him as a lover only as a friend and that she wants to work things out with me. fast forward to now I have been reading websites and books on how to reconnect and I am letting her be open with telling me how she feels whenever she wants. She told me yesterday she still thinks about him and the connection they had and isn’t sure if she feels a connection with me. We have 2 children together and her family love me and her best friend who is recently divorced hates me and is pregnant with the guys brother. I believe that it is limerance kicking in for my wife. we still talk and I told her she if free to leave but I’m starting to wonder if shes only here for what I provide and what her family will think. I admit I was negligent and even emotionally abuse towards her before. I really do love my wife. I have read the book twice so far and refer to it often and have been doing everything I can. Not everyday is positive but I am the one that holds her everynight as we sleep. we still make love but for 12 years we did it almost everyday now its down to about once a week. I tried to tell her that she can’t forge a connection with me till she breaks off the connection with him.
Stephen
Honestly, it sounds like you’re doing the right things. If your wife is no longer in contact with him, then those lingering feelings will fade with time, especially if she could take some time to understand how emotional affairs work and why they feel so addictive.
For your part, be patient, be kind, be forgiving, and non-romantically make her life better where you can. Be the man you know you want to be. If you’re doing those things, you’re doing the best that you could possibly do in this situation.
Wayne
My wife told me she was going to move into a house that her farther left her.presented me with paperwork from solicitor to make separation official .
All started about a year ago after 8 years together 5 years married and knowing and loving her all my life
Started to totally loose the plot about the smallest of things moaning that she was always short of money which i dont under stand as we have a way above combined income.
Went to meet her to take dogs to her before Christmas and she started to have a go at me when I explained to her that the way she was speaking to me was not acceptable she hasn’t spoken to me since the 8th December 2017.
I have recently received an email 3 weeks ago saying she can’t forgive me for all the little things and doesn’t love me any more and don’t want to save our marriage and I should find someone else.
Had a text yesterday saying she is missing the cat!
E
Wayne,
All I can say is I totally understand how you feel and what you are going through. It is so amazing to me that my wife sitting in South Africa probably 10,000 miles from yours are doing exactly the same. Started saying she needs space, she can’t forgive me for all the little things, feel that I am manipulating her with money but all our assets is in her name (leaving me very exposed) with one account. My mind just can’t get around the logic she brings. Then I tell myself this is driven by pure evil and I choose to see the good in her. Despite the fact that I may and lets be honest probably will loose her forever, I will always love her for the good person she was created to be.. I am not fighting her but rather the evil that has consumed her. Good luck
Ryan
Like many others, wish I had read this months ago when she first stated “give me my space”. Ten years together and a beautiful 9 year old boy, i was shocked and panicked. I had just uncovered some serious infidelity and was left speechless at her reaction to it. In our “trying to work it out” i caught her again. Too much to take at that point so I hit the divorce button. But the truth is she’s the love of my life, although crushed by her repeated infidelity I regret filing. Now there’s premature talk of starting over so we’ll see but I realize if I had followed this author’s advice and given her space at the beginning of this nightmare i wouldn’t be starring at the next six months (minimum) without her. The one aspect I neglected was ME, needed healing and some perspective from a distance but stood my ground to fight for “our marriage”. Didn’t work out so well.. so men heed this author’s advice.
Mike
Great read and very helpful…im in the early stages of an affair and my wife is now moved out to her cousins for awhile…have read quite a bit up until this point and am sort of mixing a stern father approach with mystery man…we have a 5 year old daughter who stays at home with me for the most part unless I have to be working…. end of the day I’ve accepted that this could end in divorce but I deserve someone who will choose me and nothing I can do will change that desicion my wife needs to make…
Was good to read alot that matches up with how I’ve been handling myself and even the sample chapters offered alot of little things to keep in mind as I do this…
Thank you!
Jeff Reader
Stephen, would it be possible to email you my story? it is very unique and I think you may have some incite for me.. I am devastated and could really use some advice. I have read alot of your articles and think you have some great wisdom to teach. please let me know, and thank you.
Stephen
I’m not sure whether you did or not, but go ahead if you haven’t already. Just reply to one of the newsletters.
Chandler
Well, We were engaged for 5 months. She left 4 months ago, it’s not the first time she left. She left for 4 months after our 1st 2 years after she punched me in front of our 2 oldest daughters. They are all young. I’m 28. This last time she left she was emotional and crying, we still talked and didn’t really try talking about her coming back but trying to figure out what went wrong. Now, she has been nothing but angry, only texting. I’ve been giving her space, because anything other than talk about the kids brings her anger, on the phone she cries and then tries to push it off and says she has nothing to say, then gets ‘mad’
I’ve been seeing a counselor,weekly, took back my old job that made me happy, working out. Still, I love her. I’ve had friends and family tell me I need to let it go and not think about her. Easier said then done. I DO love her. We have 3 kids.
We will be going to mediation over visitation, CS,etc.
Doesn’t give me much hope, I had one of my good friends say he’d be done, she’s told me over text I’m a disgusting man and made all the wrong decisions with me and how everything is my fault, over text, I just told her that’s fine if she thinks that way and I’m glad she’s a good mom. She’s said ALOT of hurtful things.
I really don’t know what to think.
She lives with her parents, her mom has been in the middle of our relationship since day one, they helped me push my family away and I’ve made amends with my family.
I did love her I made mistakes, but I don’t see it all being my fault.
Just would like to know if there is any reason to have any hope in it.
Thank you.
Landon
Stephen,
Thank you for the great article!
My wife of 13 years (2 children – 7&11) has been having an affair with a married man for the past 5 months. I found a note, confronted her, and she told me she loves him and that they’re moving out together. Over the next week he e sbthslly tokd his wife and moved out from her.
I found the note at the end of October. She has since moved into her own apartment and he has moved into his own. She essentially left me and the kids high and dry for 3 weeks while she got moved in. Having said that, she was coming over every other day to hang out.
Where we’re at right now is he is over at her apartment every other day (when the kids aren’t there) and spends the night. On the days she takes the kids, shas been coming over to have dinner or have a few drinks with me. We actually even went out for drinks and supper 3 nights ago. We had a nice night, she told me that he doesn’t know she was with me that night, and even gave me a passionate kiss on the cheek (first time she’s made the effort since this happened). I then seen a text he sent to get and got angry about what it said because it was about him wanting to come over when the kids were sleeping. Since then, I have decided to give her space because I have been trying WAY TOO HARD!
This is all SO fresh still and I am VERY confused. Any advice? I don’t know where her head is at and it’s killing me. Obviously it’s with him, but there’s been so much said and done to convince me otherwise. I have a Christmas present for her that I purchased before all of this… should I give it to her or not? What should I do?
Thank you in advance!
Jeff
Landon,
I am not sure what happened in your marriage but stay strong. Finding a way to deal with this, you can deal with anything.
For me, I live into two futures as a possibility on daily basis (one as a married man the other single father).it’s fucked and not what I want but how I stay sain
You don’t own her infidelity, it has nothing to do with you. Lots of people work on thier marriage if they are unhappy, not cheat. It says more about her than you. Don’t try to fix anything, just let her be and you be the father and man you want.
Stephen
Stephen,
I read this every time I am feeling discouraged about how things are going in my separation and it helps me to stay confident and helps me refocus. This, so far, has been the hardest thing I have ever gone through in my entire life but your words help keep me hopeful.
Thank You
Hlb
Hi,
I’m from France, married 1,5 years ago, I’m 27, my wife is 22
We live in a particular situation: I work 400 kms from our appartment, so we see each other only 1 time every two weeks (the situation has been like this since 5 weeks).
By the past, when we were both at our appartment, she alread told me that she has doubt about her feelings for me. Yesterday, by text, I understood something was wrong and asked her what it is with her. She told me that she considers divorce, and as long as the conversation went, said that she never felt in love with me, that she tried to convince herself that she was, told me about some defaults she saw in me, and finally said that the question for her today is do we fill for divorce now, or later, but that divorce is inevitable. She also said that now that we don’t live together, she fells like it’s the best life for her.
But I’m convinced that she painted a very dark picture of what our marriage really is, because we had our happy times too. Is it a common trait with women who tell their husband they want to divorce to be so forgetful about the good times? Does the smoke clear afterwards?
Today, we send messages to know how is it going, etc… She’s concise, and I don’t know how to interpet it. She answers almost immediately, but as she doesn’t really want to chat.
I planned to see her next week-end. What would be your advices for out meeting? Should
I then quit the job I currently have to live again under the same roof as her?
Sorry, for the long message, the amount of questions, and the poor english. Thanks sir, a lot !
Stephen
Greetings Hlb, to quickly answer your question:
— Yes it is common for a wife to forget the good times once she decides that she wants to leave. She probably isn’t even conscious of it; she legitimately doesn’t remember the good times because it feels bad right now. This is common even in 40 and 50 year old women, so it would be much harder to have the awareness that current feelings aren’t how it’s always been for a 22 year old like your wife.
— I don’t know your current circumstances. I don’t know how easy it would be to get another job. I’m assuming that the reason you’re working so far away is because you have to or because there are no jobs near your apartment. If leaving your current job to come back to the apartment means struggling to make enough money to get by, I don’t think it’s worth it.
If you move back home now while she’s “enjoying” having you gone, your wife is just going to convince herself that the marriage is definitely bad for her. What needs to happen is that she needs to WANT you to come back. Easier said than done. My suggestion is to match her distance and work on keeping yourself stable, mentally and emotionally. Make sure you’ve read the 3+1 separation strategy (there’s a link at the top of the site). You may also want to read this post for more ideas… It’s about low/no contact separations. Even though technically your wife does continue communicating with you, being long distance means many of the lessons in that post will apply.
It’s a tough situation that you’re in and I can’t give you a full answer here, but I wish you the best of luck.
Michael
Been through this many times over. She came back just before we finalized and after I found peace in me. Now going through it again after a few potential seperations 14 years later. I love my wife with all my heart and can say I want to leave her with the memory of I want it to work but out of love respect your space and loss of love for me. I might lose my best friend but if I lose me and who I am I am losing what gave us a great 20 years of pain and memories I’m glad to be part of. I’m proud I was a man she said yes to 20 years to. At 41 I won’t share the love and pain and children with someone else I have with her and want peace knowing in was blessed. I am humble for being married to the greatest woman in the world and only regret it couldn’t continue. But I can at least honor the blessing I was given by honoring me and who she is in all of our thoughts and actions wrong or rite. I will never forget her and will fight till my last breath but must let her go if it is what she wants. I love her that much
Stephen
Kyle, it seems very likely to me that your wife is having an emotional or online affair. The behaviors that you listed, as well as your wife’s attitude towards the marriage, all heavily point me towards that belief.
If your wife is continuing to engage in another relationship, then the hard truth is that nothing you do right now is going to have an impact on your marriage. Your wife’s heart can only be in one place at a time, and right now because her heart is in the emotional affair, it makes her view the marriage as ALL bad while the other relationship is ALL good. It’s a fantasy.
My honest advice is to truly let go and start focusing on yourself. Work on yourself. Don’t pursue her at all. Your mindset is, “I am going to live as if we are getting divorced until my wife gives me a reason to think she wants something else.” It’s up to her to make that decision. In the meantime, be the best man you can be; get to where you like the guy you see in the mirror. And, just like we talked about in this post, the Let Her Go mindset puts you in as much of a win-win as you can be in right now – especially for you – because not only does this space and detachment allow you to become a better man and husband, it makes it more likely she can see it, and shows her that you’re not going to keep pursuing her through an affair. It’s okay for that to be a line you draw.
I think the iTunes gift card is fine, but I could see an argument for no gift at all, especially if you share my belief that she’s having an EA. Because of the marriage being ALL bad, it means that no matter what you give her, no matter how you give it, will be viewed as bad in some way. If you do give her anything, read this post… It’s technically about Valentine’s Day but same type of thinking applies.
Also, if you do suspect an affair, look into the divorce laws in your state and consider talking to a lawyer ASAP. It’s hard advice to give here, but right now you are dealing with two problems – one is saving your marriage, the other is surviving divorce if it comes to that. Your lawyer may advise your to file before her, and if you live in a fault-ground state, to get proof of the affair. Obviously I’m not a lawyer, so talk to someone who is. You need to be equally prepared for both possible outcomes, even if you would obviously prefer to save the marriage. Again, that’s a choice that takes two people.
This comment got kind of long, but all things that I felt needed to be said. This doesn’t cover everything, but should give you a good start. Good luck.
Oh, and make sure you’ve seen this – 3+1 Separation Strategy.
Much manly love,
– Stephen
Jason
My wife told me 4 weeks ago she fell out of love with me . We’ve been together 20 years. Married 17 Two kids 13 & 10. First 3 weeks like all of us I cried and begged lost 22 pounds. She says I had a short temper with her I never hit her or even yelled at her in anger never cheated . My issues where if it wasn’t my way or what I wanted we didn’t do it plus the daily routine I lost the time to be affectionate and spend quality time with her. These last 2 weeks I haven’t cried in front of her I’ve been positive spending more time with my kids helping out around the house more asking if she needs anything. She wants to start the mediation process I told her okay just because it buys me 6 months to win her back I also told her I’ll start the process if we can go to marriage counseling. She said she will go but she will just be going through the motions she’s checked out and doesn’t love me anymore. Any advice ?
Stephen
Hey Jason,
All the things you’re doing now are good. Most important thing is keep your head on straight and make sure you’re taking care of yourself SO THAT you can remain clear headed and make good decisions consistently.
For the marriage counseling, one possible option would be to acknowledge to her that you know she’s checked out and that marriage counseling probably won’t fix your marriage. Tell her that even if it does nothing for your marriage, you think it will help maintaining good communication and maybe give you some ideas for keeping the family stable throughout the mediation process. Then you can say, “Obviously, I DO hope that it helps us because I believe that the best days of our marriage can still be in front of us, but even if it doesn’t I think it will still be worth it during mediation.”
Just a thought, adapt as you see fit, or don’t do it at all. Either way, good luck.
Charles
Hi
I am truly scared and unusually emotional right now. My wife of 21 years and best friend of 25 years asked to be out of the marriage 4 weeks ago. Reasons that were stated was because she loved me but was not “in love” with me and wanted time and space to find herself. Her unhappiness has been steadily growing over the past few years but I never felt our marriage was on the brink of failure. As recently as 2 months ago, we were doing a lot of fun and happy activities together. Although our marriage isn’t perfect and I am certainly the cause of many communication issues, but I never saw the unhappiness that she is now expressing. I must have missed the warning signs.
I have made ALL of the mistakes on what NOT to do when this occurs. I begged; I tried to convince her to change her mind; I cried…A LOT which is very unusual for me; we talked to the family who tried to convince her also. Each time this gets discussed, she seems to dig her heels in deeper and is not budging and seems to have a growing resentment.
Last night we went to see a counselor and although some new details came out, the bottom line is the same but with even more resentment now. It became clear to me that my only path forward is to agree to the separation and to move out and give her space and time that she is asking for. She has initially asked that I move out of our bedroom but stay in the house and move into our downstairs room. When I asked why not me out of the house, she was worried about finances and taking on additional expenses. I told her I understood but for her to truly have the space that she needs to take this solo journey, I need to be out of site for her so I offered to go to my parents for awhile. Even after that, she still prefers me to be in the home but just downstairs.
This is so confusing for me and is pulling at my emotions. She has cut off all physical contact…no hello or goodbye kiss, no hug, no holding hands. We sleep in the same bed but we might as well be on two different continents as she intentionally keeps as far away as possible. She now hides in the closet when changing clothes and does not want me in the room when she is showering. This all just seems so very sudden and cold which is not like her at all, but perhaps this is part of her process to being independent and trying to find herself.
With all of this and after reading this article no less than 5 times, I am going to move out and give her distance and time to miss me/us. I know that this is a gamble and it may still conclude with a divorce, but as the article states…the choice is hers and is out of my control. I know she loves me because she says it and means it. I know she is in love with me although she says she does not feel it but her actions prove otherwise. I am hoping space and time for her to think will allow her to realize that her best friend and true love is waiting and ready when she is.
I welcome all feedback and guidance
-Charles
Stephen
Charles, do NOT move out just yet. My advice is to try the in-house separation first. I know where you’re coming from, and it’s not the moving out is always a bad idea; you’re free to make that choice and you should trust your gut. But! It should be a decision made carefully and strategically, not emotionally. Moving out can have some hidden consequences outside of your marriage, especially if you have kids (which you didn’t mention here). I’m publishing a post on this exact topic this week, so stay tuned for more details.
If you’re only 4 weeks in, I know that your head is still spinning… This is normal and expected. Give yourself a bit more time to stabilize, and to see whether or not it’s possible for her to seemingly get the space she needs with separate living spaces inside the home. Remember, giving her space is just as much about giving her emotional and mental space as physical space. Match her distance, although you can do it with warmth and kindness instead of her coldness. If she doesn’t want goodbye kisses or hugs, don’t ask for them. If she doesn’t say I love you, don’t say I love you. If she keeps her plans vague, you do the same. If she doesn’t ever engage in conversation, stop trying to start them. Live your own life and show her that you can move on… She’s going to go through this independent phase one way or another even if she ends up coming back. Your job right now is to pick yourself up and clarify what you can control and figure out what YOU need to do to survive right now. And just like we talked about in this article, focusing on self-care and self-improvement first will incidentally end up being better for her and your marriage.
Brandon Brandt
This… This reply honestly is better advice to and for my situation than the article… I don’t really understand why all power is with the wife… I don’t wanna force anything on her and I don’t, but what is it when she wants something, I have to do it or I don’t love her, but when I want something and she doesn’t give me the time of day to acknowledge any of my needs is it STILL my fault? I massage her EVERY night. I mean I love getting her knots out but shit, I ask for a shoulder rub because I have a pinched nerve and I’m complaining. xD what?!?!?!! Every TIME I leave she pulls me back hours later. Minutes later. Sometimes she screams for me to leave breaks down and I feel so guilty(I have done nothing to wrong her in our 5 year relationship) that I wrap my arms around her… I HAVE been clingy… I guess? Hell I love her and in my head I haven’t clinged ENOUGH but she acts like she needs to just be alone. Idk what is going on. When I try to talk about it she explodes and says I never try and I don’t ever look at her or talk to her…. Which….. Is fucking crazy because ALL I do while we are together is wait on her and look at her… I’m starting to think my pain is in my eyes… I have no solid evidence she’s cheating, but the guilt I feel radiating from her is surreal. What the hell is there to do? I CAN’T leave her, she breaks when i am gone for 10-20 mins… But can calmly say bye right before I walk out….
Any advice…. Shit ALL advice welcome.
Charles
Hi
Thank you for the reply
As an update, we told our 4 kids last night and it wss the hardest thing i have ever done. No parent should ever inflict let alone see that can of pain on their own children. We have 2 kids in college and 2 in High School. They were devastated and emotional and angry. We were all crying except for my wife. She was very stoic in her explanation that it was not because of me but her who wants the divorce. She wants to find herself and that i do not want it at all.
Later that night after we told them my wife asked me to come upstairs and I assumed that she wanted to talk about what happened. The moment we got to our bedroom we closed the door and she began sobbing and feeling that the kids all hate her. I comforted her and gave her love and told her that they are sad but you ar their mother and they love you.
I have been staying at my parents house some 20 minutes away for the past two weeks now. We communicate via text and I see her fairly often. I don’t know if things will turn around or not but I am trying to be myself. I have had setbacks especially as I am learnings that she might be secretively communicating with another man on Facebook Messenger. I know who the person is but I chose to not confront either of them over it because I cannot control that. I believe that she knows that I know. Furthermore, I don’t have any details that would indicate that it is more than online conversations. Again, out of my control
This is all very hard and it truly requires me to be a good actor and keep a tough upper lip.
Now that I am out of the house, is there any hope?
Stephen
Charles, yes there is still hope! As the saying goes, hope for the best, prepare for the worst. I have absolutely seen plenty of reconciliations after spouses live apart, ESPECIALLY as in your case where you continue seeing and talking to your wife, even more so when those conversations are kind and cordial. I don’t see anything at all in this situation that makes me believe you’ve moved past the possibility of reconciliation. The best thing you can do is stay consistent, keep working on yourself, maintain what you’re doing, and be there for your kids and, strange as it sounds, for yourself… Taking care of yourself and keeping up good self-care will be crucial not only for your own well-being but also in staying consistent for your wife.
Best of luck and much manly love!
Kam
Sadly, I am in the same situation as Charles. Married 21 years with a beautiful almost 17 year old daughter. Wife decided that she can be my friend but no longer wanted to be married to me. We argued a lot over the years and pretty much messed up our daughter in the process. I believed in family and doing things together. I loved them and did everything I thought was in their best interest. I protected them but turns out I was being overprotective and that can be overbearing. I spoiled them and thought that I was making them happy. But doing things for them didn’t make them happy. I made them feel guilty. I lost their trust. I was trying to be a good father and husband. But I overdid it. I’m learning all of this now and making changes. But it’s too late. I regret not knowing earlier what I know now.
John
Charles, do you have any update on this? Is seems so similar to my situation-
david
ok..my wife left 1 june 2017. she has been living with her affair partner who she has known since she was 15. she is now 38 and he is 52.. married and divorced 3 times. I have custody of the kids. she lives 1 hour away in her home town where her married daufhter 25 lives and her two grand kids. her sister lives there also. what I read is just let her be and move on.
Stephen
What you read is right. She can’t choose the marriage til she is done with the affair. At this point, with her making the kind of choices she’s made (leaving the kids and family far behind) it could be months… It could be years… It could be never. You can’t spend your life waiting for that. Focus on yourself and the kids and move on. That said, only YOU know when you are ready to truly let go, and I won’t presume to tell you here. Trust your gut, and for right now, really just do your best to help your kids through this. If you haven’t already talked to a lawyer, do so now… Even if you don’t plan on filing, you need to know your options.
My heart goes out to you david. That is an extremely difficult situation.
If you haven’t read the articles about midlife crises, may be worth doing. This one is about signs she’s going through a midlife crisis, this one is about why she is having a midlife crisis.
Chas
What good is there in wanting someone thay doesnt want you
Stephen
Very good point, something I tried to sum up in these couple sentences:
A
I am a woman.
I understand what you are saying and I think it is important that the husband
still pursues some but more from a distance if he wants to get his wife back.
Such as, flowers and a card with something written about when they first met.
Maybe just once a month a lil something or maybe wait longer depending on
how needed the guy was before. Women like to be pursued and know
that the guy will always love us, but I do understand what you are saying
especially if the guy has been desperate, extra needy, wimpy…etc. I just
think if the woman is on the way to divorce if he isn’t in the picture at all or
worse she is with someone else and then her husband is doing nothing
romantic and isn’t in the picture at all then I do not think chances are
good for reconciliation.
Ochedi Ojonugba
Dear Stephen,
I don’t know how to thank u for this article but I believe everything occur for a reason.
I would have lost my job and my life because of a woman I have been forcing to luv me.
My wife left home to sleep outside and still came back to my house. She told me am not in her class and went to hotel for five days with another man because she needs to give me chance.
Worst of all I was begging her telling her I will change, do u know what my wife did after I knelt down to begged her, she bought a 80 leaves note book and listed the conditions for reconciliation
When I read tru d conditions I really discovered this woman hate me and I just I rejected them and let e
her go after one month she is begging to come back but I will never accept her anymore thanks for saving me stephen
Bob
After 43 years of marriage, my wife asked for space. So painfully I have been away for 3 months. I called several times a day. But lately I’ve given her space to sort things out.
It has torchered me to not be with her and frankly I never would have thought she would do this.
I recently told her that I was sorry for pressing her to come back and that she could take all the time she needed. Immediately she said I could come back.
I want to continue to give her space, but it is hard after 43 years.
John
Mate, I’m luckier than you. Next week is our 49th Anniversary. 6 years ago we stopped having sex because she said it was painful. What happened over six years is that all the intimacy went out of our marriage. She now doesn’t like kissing, cuddling or being stroked. We still stay together and sleep in the same bed. We have been to 8 counselling sessions and throughout this she maintained her aging body was the problem. The counselling sessions did nothing for me because I failed to understand how a kiss could be painful or cuddling and hugging. Having now left counselling we have been talking to each other trying to reach a compromise. Just today she admitted “that the magic had left her”. Our discussions continued and then it all came out – the things she finds objectionable about me
Now I said lucky because after she told me what she thought, I decided that I would change and become what she wanted me to be. And that was before reading Chapter 1 above which speaks about becoming the man we want to be. That has all just happened today, so I can’t tell you that I have changed and we are all sweet again. However I was grateful just to read chapter 1 because it confirmed what I thought; but now I have insight to make it work. I am a macho man and don’t normally cry, but over the last few weeks I have cried many times over what I had lost. Again I say lucky because I have the chance to woo her back. Before she actually told me what her problems with me were and I had asked her how I could win her back she coyly said you must court me all over again. At 74 I have no idea how to do that, but I will leave no stone unturned to do so
Alan
Omg! I really needed to read this..Lord knows I’ve been trying so hard to get her back but she constantly rejects me. Now just by reading this article I can now give her the space she needs and be mindful of a divorce… Thanks
Bryant
what i have read has helped me so much more an its the same thing i have received from some others i have talked to. she moved out about a year ago, an regretted started a lease about six months later. ever were we go, she thinks others females want me, an says im to friendly because i have a great sense of humor and love making her smile an they smile also. we travel some were ever weekend or a ever other weekend, an she shows nothing but love till a month ago, she said she needs space and she loves me but not in love with me anymore. i felt so used because i got her a new car an sold her other one, and she kept over half the money from the sale. none of that bothered me, until she said, nothing have changed in the last 3 months, and it wasn’t going no were. so she moved here little items out when i went to a car show that she changed her mind on going with me. i told here i didn’t no i was on a trial, period. i had changed so much with my time at work for her and us, and showed her more love than before, but it didn’t work, just like you said in your article. so i took the new truck back and told her she was going to drive another car i got for her before this new one. she said she dont want anything from me, an called her friend and left. i haven’t heard or seen her in 4 weeks. she wont talk to nobody (mom,dad,counselor,friends, nobody) im hurting because this silence was killing me, until i read your articles. i guess my question is, how long do we wait, before we quit hoping and praying and go file for a divorce? P.S do you think i was wrong for taking the truck back? she was vary hesitant in driving it at first. she had all this planed,an i told her i wouldn’t have sold her other car, if i new she had this planed to separate in two months. thanks
Murray
My wife had seperated with me off and on the last 7 months. She keeps telling me she’s going through something and that she doesn’t feel love for me. I’ve tried everything possible. I work out of town so for 10 days I’m gone and only home for 4. I now know that she has slept with another guy. She had called me Friday morning after spending the night at his house balling saying she wanted to come home. And to take things slow and not put a label on it. She listened to our wedding song all that day on repeat. Crying. She got home and said she never said those things and that she had a couple drinks over lunch and mentioned her and I should go back to Mexico. I’m confused to what she wants. She keeps telling me she wants space but still continues to talk to this guy because he is there for her when she needs him. And he doesn’t overwhelm her or talk about the relationship. My hearts broken but I’m trying to stay strong for my kids. Today she told me she doesn’t want this other guy but still doesn’t know what she wants. She just wants space and maybe speak to a councillor. I just want my wife back so I’m giving her the space requested. She doesn’t want to sell our home or anything so I’m left to believe she wants the idea of what we have but it what we actually have. It’s hard being the better man when you find these things out. But what am I to do? Is letting her go the best bet?
Aaron
I’m trying to learn how to do this. My wife left 3 months ago, we still text almost everyday, she calls me to come over when she’s feeling lonely but dodges me anytime I try to do anything with her. i feel us growing further apart. We have no kids and nothing to hold us together after the divorce passes, and I think she may have already found someone else and is just afraid to tell me. I haven’t begged her to come back, but I’ve made it clear I want to work on this and at least give it a shot. There’s no abuse or anything, she was just unhappy in the marriage. I think I might need to let her go for real.
Martin
Hi all
Just been reading through the posts trying to get other people’s viewpoints. My wife says she doesn’t love me anymore and wants me to leave.
I have been trying for months to win her back, but I just appear to make things worse and she blows her top over the smallest things. Eg sat down to watch a film, went to get her an ice cream, washing was wet room decided to sort, was about 15 mins, went up stairs when she told me I wasn’t there for her, remote control thrown against wall lead to a night on sofa and I’ve been there ever since (last 2 nights)
I’m going to give her what she wants and have a trial separation where I’ll move out, and hopefully this will give her some space, I love her and want things to work
Thanks for the advice
Mark Flanagan
I have read the posts and article. I am trying to.move forward the best way I can. Me and my wide are currently seperated. She has since said there is no chance of us getting back together.
However I am hoping that if I stay away and just see her when I collect my daughter then she will come back to me. I have every intention of trying to change for the better. I have been the better but now I need to try and be the strong silent type and see if she comes back to me. Just hope to god it works
Seth
My wife has left me 4 times since we married…. our 3 year anniversary came up recently…. the first time…. i had to be strong… i knew it wont over but i had to be strong and not break they needed me…. i needed to take care of us… i was the only one working she was gone almost 2 months… the second… i hit a wall unlike anything i ever experienced hardest thing in my life to said point, she was gone for 6 months…. cause everything from convolutions to hallucinations (the stress was making me have a mental breakdown)…. some how she came back…. the third she was gone a couple days… i went and talked to her and she came home…. the fourth and now…. shes been gone for 8 months…. ive put everything into it…. honestly in time ive realized… it isn’t me…. its her…. and i know theirs nothing i can do… marriage is all compromise…. you cant make it work alone… and this hits nail on the head…. i feel like letting go is giving up… i feel im the only one working for it… kills me to let go… for me i dont think there will be a happy ending… but i like to think some one is out there who wants to be with me… and not run away..
Jeff
The way I look at it is the person who was left has the power to say when it is actually over. Her, as the person who left has the power to make the relationship good again.
It is not over till you say it is and you deserve someone who will love you and want to be with you. No matter what, you will find love again if you want to.
Stephen
That is a very intelligent and succinct way of phrasing it Jeff, great advice.
Stephen
Separating four times in 3 years definitely tells me that your wife has some deeper unresolved issues that she’s trying to avoid dealing with. Sadly, she has got herself into a routine behavior of blaming the marriage instead of getting the help she needs. Personally, I’d recommend you go talk to an individual counselor. They can help you keep your head on straight and deal with all the stress you’re going through right now.
Edward
Thank you for sharing this information. I am currently seperated from my wife. It was my fault. I did treat her and respect as I should have. I was the beggar and was doing exactly what you said not to do. She said she needed space and she was not getting the space with me at home. I reluctantly left the house. We both agreed it was temporary. I truly believe that if I continued to be the beggar I would have lost my wife. I now have hope that there is a chance we can work it out I am focus on doing what you suggest. Thank you and I pray we will work it out
Mario Tanjun
Thank you Stephen, after reading so many websites on separation and empty promises and tricks on ” How to get your wife back” finally somebody is making clear the path to follow. You are not “sugar coating” the situation and telling us straight forward material that will help us know the ground we are stepping into right now.
thank you
Jackson
Great Stuff Stephen – I can’t get enough of your articles. I wish I would of been turned onto them three months ago. My wife keeps saying “I don’t know” when I ask if she wants to return home and work on our marriage…what the heck do I say to that? It is very frustrating! Thank you again Stephen for all the manly advice!
Stephen
My advice is to stop asking her if she wants to return home and work on the marriage! Trust that when she wants to return, she will. Until then, let your actions speak louder than your words and trust that she really does need the space right now to work through her own issues. Spend the time working on yourself and try to make the most of the time you get together with as little pressure as possible.
Perry
Thank You, i wish i would of read this sooner… i was going crazy when i found out my wife wanted to end our relationship and it was because i first didn’t think this would ever happen and second because i didn’t know what to do or how to think. when the anxiety of my wife wanting to leave me is over whelmeing i read this article to bring me back. again thanks for all the insight and information. if i can’t get my wife back i hope to find a new wife that i can apply this information and be happy with. Thank you so much