Signs of Emotional Cheating
An Emotional affair is not the same as a physical affair. Emotional cheating is the act of relying on someone outside of the partnership for emotional support. This is referred to as emotional infidelity. Since emotional adultery isn’t a sexual relationship, people frequently see it as subtle cheating. Even if the person is not a romantic partner, the person on the other side of the relationship is deeply emotionally connected to the other person. In addition to creating sexual tension and tearing down boundaries, emotional infidelity can also create an emotional link that could be harmful to the main relationship.
We Are Just Friends
Probably not. Emotional cheating is deeper than a friendship relationship. When a person is involved in emotional cheating, they are crossing boundaries and causing harm to their primary relationship. Emotional cheating differs from friendships in numerous ways. The following are signs of emotional cheating:
Signs of Emotional Cheating
- Your partner is distant – emotional cheating puts distance in their primary relationship. This distance can lead to decreased sexual attraction and desire to spend time with their partner.
- They lie – emotional cheaters lie about their activity. Whether it is online behavior, texting, or secretly meeting, an emotional cheater wants to spend more time with someone other than their partner.
- They are uncomfortable when asked about their friendship – someone engaged in emotional infidelity may be more irritable and frustrated when having to talk to their partner about their friendship. They be defensive or uncomfortable talking about how that relationship is affecting their primary relationship.
- Keeping secrets- if your partner is sending text messages or photos to someone other than you and doesn’t want to tell you about it then they may be developing an emotional connection with someone else.
- They are not there for you- your partner may not have the desire to be emotionally connected to you or be supportive of your feelings.
- Spending time with coworkers outside of office hours- when your partner is spending time with a coworker outside of business hours that interferes with their primary relationship they might be in an emotional relationship.
- The focus of conversation is on their friend- when your partner talks more about their friend than is usual, then they might have developed an emotional connection with them.
Why do people have emotional affairs?
There are many reasons people seek a deeper emotional connection outside of their primary relationship. Sometimes they might feel like they are not getting the emotional support they need within their relationship. They might feel disrespected or unappreciated and seek that type of support from someone else.
Emotional affairs typically start out innocently and develop into a deeper more meaningful relationship as the two people share more and more intimate details about themselves. A deeper sense of trust, respect, and bonding occurs and soon they are drifting away from their partner. A relationship counselor or relationship coach can assist you with your relationship.
Emotional cheating can lead to breakups and divorce.
Maintaining an emotional connection with your partner is important for a healthy relationship. Keep communicating your needs with your partner and talk about your problems. Healthy communication is the best thing you can do to improve your relationship. If emotional cheating has hurt your relationship, you can move forward.
Contact a mental health therapist that specializes in relationships. Speaking to an expert can help you navigate the ups and downs that come with developing a trusting, healthy, and long-term committed relationship.