Divorce can cause major turbulence in an already complicated time for your teen. Learn more here.
6 Min Read
Contents
Everything seems fine, you’re just dealing with life and the day-to-day. Then, out of nowhere, your husband says he wants to separate.
Although most people don’t think about it, if they had to make a list of the worst things spouses can say to each other, at the top would definitely be,
I want to separate.”
Some partners don’t even get that courtesy – they find out after it’s happened.
I’ve counseled women who’ve found out their husband wants to separate by coming home to a note on the counter and all of his stuff is gone.
Typically, people have thought a lot about leaving before ever doing it – often for months, sometimes years.
Fantasizing about how much better your life would be without your partner is a common escape when you’re unhappy in your marriage.
If he’s not going to tell me he wants a separation, are there signs he could be thinking about it?”
Short answer – yes, there are always signs. The problem is that the signs will indicate he’s unhappy, not always what step he’s ready to take.
Regardless, you should be on alert if he’s,
Not interested in physical affection or sex
Any kind of change in behavior should be at least a question if not a concern.
Sadly, most people avoid rather than inquire. That’s a big mistake.
Avoiding discussing the changes you’ve seen can backfire by being interpreted by him as being dismissive and disinterested in him.
He may be thinking,
She can see I’m struggling. And she doesn’t even care enough about me to ask!”
While you may be thinking,
I want to know what’s going on with him, but when I’ve asked in the past he either says ‘nothing’ or gets angry.”
It can be a bit of a catch-22. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. So, just do it.
One of the biggest signs your husband wants to separate is his lack of communication and not saying anything.
A partner’s who’s become distant and disconnected is likely considering looking elsewhere to fill what’s missing.
Over the past month to two months my husband has told me he wants to ‘separate’ and that he is considering divorce. His main complaints are about the lack of sex in our marriage, that he feels I do not truly care or appreciate him, and that I lack motivation and ‘common sense.’ I know he has anger issues, and there are definitely things I need to improve for myself and our marriage if it is to work out. My husband has been distant, does not want to talk to me, and does need seem very supportive of the situation at all. I love him and want to make things work, but he no longer seems interested or willing to try. He has given up and says he has been dealing with me for 5 years and I haven't changed. I feel so hurt and confused because while I know we have had our arguments and disagreements in the past, I never thought that he was this unhappy with me. When I tell him this it angers him and he says that part of the problem is me not realizing that. I do not understand how all last year we were talking about having another baby, and just a few months ago everything was okay, but now everything is falling apart and I don't know what to do.” -Kassandra
First, don’t ignore the potential signs. That’s the mistake most wives make.
Second, don’t accuse him of wanting to separate or get out of the marriage – that can open a door you don’t want him to walk through.
If you want to save your marriage, then your goal should be to get him to talk and work with you, neither of which is easy. Doing either of these things may require professional counseling.
Start by telling him about the changes you’ve seen – both in him and in your relationship. And then ask him what those things might mean.
For instance,
But if his behavior says otherwise, you can’t trust that he’s being honest with you with his words.
It’s important to remember that if your husband wants to separate you can’t stop him – and you shouldn’t.
But you shouldn’t help him leave either.
What you do want to do is get an agreement from him on a plan for the separation.
The biggest mistake partners make is separating without a plan. They just move forward with the mistaken belief that time will fix things – it won’t.
Time doesn’t fix anything unless it’s accompanied by effort. And in the case of separation, that effort needs to be specific and intentional.
Thinking that separating means your marriage is over is a common misconception.
Yes, separating could move you one step closer to divorce – but it doesn’t have to.
Staying in the same house together when you’re miserable and suffocating can do that too.
The motivations for separating are what set the direction and influence the outcome.
My husband and I have been through a lot of tough times in our relationship that lead to me being unhappy and blaming him for some of the issues we had. Because of these negative things we started fighting more frequently. About a week ago, my husband and I got into a rather big fight that ended up with him saying he loves me but isn't in love with me. This kind of devastated me. I was in shock and I couldn't stop asking why. Then my husband said he wants to live separate from each other for a while without leaving the relationship. He said he wants to see where things go and see if he could fall in love with me again. He used to be head over heals for me and now that is gone. I don't understand why but I guess neither does he.” -Val
What appears to be missing for Val and her husband is a plan for their separation.
Identifying and agreeing on the goals for separating and having a plan on how they’ll be accomplished is what determines a good or bad outcome.
If you’re smart about how you separate, then you don’t have to fear it.
I’m counseling a couple right now and the husband has been pushing to separate. Pushing hard.
We need to talk. We need to make a decision.”
This became a daily fight.
After that she began to look on some dating sites to see if meeting someone else is even possible (she knows it’s too early, but was curious anyway).
Guess what happened?
His attitude has flipped and now he wants to come back to counseling. And she’s now the one questioning if she should stay married.
There’s a lot to sort out to fix their marriage, so the rest of their story isn’t written yet.
But her worst fear – her husband wanting to separate – has turned out (so far) to be a good thing because good changes are happening.
If you think your husband wants to separate, keep in mind:
There are signs. Don’t ignore them (Remember, happy and content husbands don’t want to leave).
A separation can look like it’s over from the outside, but with the right plan and effort it can actually be an opportunity to fix your marriage and make it better for both of you.
Are you thinking your husband wants to separate? Has he already told you so? Please share with other readers what that’s been like so you can get their feedback and support.
Editor's Note: This post was originally published August 11, 2022 and has been updated with new information for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Divorce can cause major turbulence in an already complicated time for your teen. Learn more here.
No one starts their marriage and family hoping for divorce. Learn how divorce effects your teens here.
Have your ever said My Husband Wants A Divorce But I Don’t? Find out what to do when your Husband Wants to Divorce But You want to stay married.
© 2026 Guy Stuff Counseling & Coaching, APC, All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | Sitemap | Do Not Sell or Share My Information
Featured logos are trademarks of their respective owners.
I am currently going through a separation brought on by MLC. Hubby said he believed we should separate in October 2021 and moved out while I was away in February 2022. His decision came out of the blue or so it seemed but now looking back he was changing long before his decision. 4 months after he moved out, he now wants to try and make us work, before he moved out I voiced that I didn’t want a separation with no plan where we would be indefinitely separated. He wasn’t hearing it and so we have no clue as to where do we go from here considering he is still in replay of MLC.
Roxanne, You're right that you needed a plan before he left. And you still need one. So, if he's ready to work at things then that's where you should start. Sounds like you'd really benefit from having a professional help you figure what that plan should look like now. Hold firm that there needs to be a plan on what "try and make us work" looks like. -Dr. Kurt
My husband wants to separate aftwe 33+ yrs of marriage. He has emotionally cheated on me but not physically ans he’s done this more than once. I don’t want to separate bc I still love him very much. This came out of the blue bc we’ve been having a great year and we vacation several times a year. We are both in our 50’s and I had never thought I would be facing this after so many years being married.
I am so very sad you have gone through this. It is happening to me right now at 54 years old. I'm so saddened and even if it could be repaired (17 percentile) I will never be the same. I wish you the best
Been married 5 years. Out of the blue he wants to separate. He says he has been unhappy since the beginning. My heart is broken. He wants to talk about plans but I’m scared too. Me and the kids are living with my parents and I don’t like it. I don’t want to separate but I know I can’t stop him.
My husband and I think he have depression but refuse to get help. We act as if it was nothing. We have good sex life, we go out with the kids, have coffee together and plans for our future . Then one day I found him slowly slipping away from me. No sex. No hugs. No kisses. Even saying I love you seems forced. Until we got into an argument because I was overthinking, doubting myself. Then thats it. Something inside him snapped. He was no longer feeling anything. Hates talking to people. Wants to be alone all the time. He said that he's numb but tries to get him to feel his love for me again and to be back to his usual self. He was feeling guilty for unintentionally hurting mo because he was distant. We want to fix our marriage. I want to help him feel again. But he refuse to seek professional help. I don't know what to do. I don't want us to separate so was he.
Kaye, Get professional help without him. Don't let his stubbornness prevent you from getting the help your relationship needs. -Dr. Kurt
My husband has recently brought up divorce around his brothers anniversary of his passing ( suicide). He says he wants to be alone and wants to find himself and be happy again. I will say we have fought a lot the past 3 years due to lots of traveling but nothing in my mind ever considered divorce. I believe the fighting may have been a factor as well but ultimately believe he blames himself for his brothers suicide. He says his heart is not in it yet talks about the future with simple things like plans for redoing the outside of the house. I have gotten counseling myself and I do not fight with him anymore as it is a PTSD program. I would love some input on this. I just simply remind him that marriage takes work but he voiced he feels like a failure and just keeps saying he wants out, be by himself and be happy again. we do have 2 kids as well.
Agatha, Your husband has many sings of having a midlife crisis. Read the articles I've written on MLC to learn more about how to respond. -Dr. Kurt