Marriage Counsellor and Psychologist Shivani Misri Sadhoo

You have been savouring those romantic coffee dates, indulging in long drives, and even sneaking in casual leaves from work just to create special moments with your beloved boyfriend or girlfriend, especially on their birthday. However, when the topic of marriage crosses your mind, there’s a distinct sense that your significant other isn’t quite ready for such a significant commitment or may not be inclined to take that step with you.

Are you curious to find out these tell-tale signs that indicate your significant other might not be ready for the monumental commitment of marriage?

Eminent relationship expert and marriage counselor in Delhi, Shivani Misri Sadhoo shares a few signs in this article.

Avoiding Future Plans

If your partner constantly sidesteps discussions about the future, especially on topics like settling down or long-term plans, it could indicate a lack of commitment. A genuine desire for a lifelong connection involves open conversations. If your enthusiasm for living together or dream wedding plans is met with lukewarm responses and swift subject changes, it may signal a deeper reluctance to envision a shared future.

Haven’t Met their Family

Is your partner keeping their family a mystery? A red flag in serious relationships is avoiding family introductions. A future spouse willingly integrates into each other’s families. If your significant other hesitates or delays this step, it signals uncertainty about a lifelong commitment. Avoiding family meetings suggests a lack of pride in your connection. Even if an introduction happens, reluctance may hint at future commitment issues.

Lack of Emotional Connection

In a thriving relationship, trust, loyalty, understanding, love, care, and shared emotions are crucial. If your partner refrains from opening up emotionally, it signals a reluctance to include you in their inner world, hinting at a lack of commitment. True connection involves vulnerability and closeness. When a significant other detached emotionally, it suggests a hesitancy to envision a lasting future together. Building emotional walls may signify a reluctance to see you as a lifelong partner.

Always Making Lame Excuses

Your significant other consistently postpones the idea of marriage, citing various reasons like recent conflicts with their mother or work-related stress. Each time, they claim it’s not the “right time.” Whether it’s financial stability or career achievements, the excuses keep piling up.

If someone truly desires marriage, obstacles wouldn’t hinder their commitment. Continuous justifications reveal a reluctance to take that step. Pay attention to actions, as words alone may not paint an accurate picture of their intentions.

Your Partner Isn’t Serious About the Relationship

In a relationship, actions speak louder than words. Take, for instance, when your partner hesitates to hold hands in public or introduces you with only your name, avoiding any mention of your connection. These subtle gestures may signify a reluctance to commit.

If, after months together, your significant other downplays the seriousness of your relationship, it could be a clear indication that marriage isn’t on their horizon. Such reluctance to embrace the connection publicly may reveal their hesitations about a long-term commitment.

 The Discussion does not go Beyond the Proposal

After a joyous proposal, your partner might evade wedding discussions, showing reluctance to set dates or arrange venues, hinting at a hesitancy to commit. A devoted partner eagerly plans a wedding, involving loved ones, but if your significant other hesitates to confirm a date, reconsiderations about the marriage may be surfacing. Pay attention to the unspoken signals, as actions often speak louder than words in matters of the heart.

Now that you know the subtle signs of a partner’s reluctance to commit, it’s crucial to recognize the importance of open communication, emotional connection, and shared future plans in a lasting relationship. Paying attention to actions over words is key, as these indicators can help you navigate potential commitment issues and make informed decisions about your future together.

Love is a magical and exhilarating emotion, weaving dreams of togetherness and happiness. However, marriage isn’t always the immediate destination of this beautiful journey. Many couples find themselves head over heels in love but realize they aren’t quite ready to take the plunge.

It could be fear, insecurities, or simply a lack of readiness, urging us to be vigilant for signs indicating our partner might not be emotionally prepared for a genuine relationship. Eminent relationship expert and couples therapist Shivani Misri Sadhoo shares her tips in this article.

What are the signs to look out for to check if a person is emotionally ready for a real relationship?

Some of the signs that are explained by Shivani regarding a partner is not emotionally ready for a relationship are:

They Avoid Honest Communication

An essential cornerstone of a healthy relationship lies in open and honest communication. If your partner habitually engages in stonewalling, evades discussing their emotions, sidesteps challenging conversations, or emotionally withdraws during intense moments, it may indicate an unreadiness for a genuine, committed relationship. Strong relationships are nurtured through a consistent and open dialogue, where both partners feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and emotions.

When They’re Practically Off The Grid

When an individual displays a penchant for distancing themselves physically and emotionally, they may be classified as emotionally unavailable. ‘Ghosting’ i.e. sudden disappearances followed by unpredictable reappearances, reflects this emotional disengagement. ‘Benching’ or ‘Breadcrumbing’ occurs when a partner keeps you on the outskirts of their life, rarely initiating contact.

‘Zombie-ing’ is when the emotionally unavailable individual reappears after a silence, leaving you emotionally perplexed and disconnected, without an explanation or apology. These actions signify a reluctance to engage in genuine, meaningful communication.

Avoids Future Planning

Emotional readiness involves envisioning a shared future and making plans together. If your partner consistently avoids discussing or making plans for the future, whether it’s about living arrangements, careers, or family, they may not be emotionally prepared to invest in a long-term relationship.

Being Selfish

A real relationship involves mutual support, care, and consideration. If your partner consistently prioritizes their needs, goals, and desires above yours without considering your feelings, it suggests they may not be emotionally prepared to share their life and emotional space with someone else.

Your Time is Not So Important

If your partner frequently cancels plans and doesn’t respect your time, it’s a red flag. Quality time together is vital for a relationship, and constant cancellations show a lack of emotional investment. If they cancel often and seem disinterested when you do meet, they might not be ready for a real relationship.

Afraid of Being Too Close?

Emotional intimacy is at the core of a genuine relationship. If your partner is uncomfortable with physical affection, avoids cuddling, or resists spending quality time together, they may be struggling with their own fear of intimacy, which can be a significant roadblock to a real, deep connection.

Humor And Sarcasm

Do you notice how some people respond with humor and sarcasm instead of showing true emotions? Instead of facing feelings of anger or disappointment, emotionally unavailable individuals make light of serious situations. For instance, if a friend shares a personal struggle, they might make a joke to deflect from discussing their true feelings and vulnerability disconnecting emotionally from you in the process.

What did we learn today?

Understanding emotional unreadiness in a partner is crucial for building a genuine, committed relationship. Signs such as avoiding honest communication, emotional distancing, selfishness, and a reluctance to plan for the future can indicate a lack of readiness for deep emotional connection. Being vigilant about these signs can help individuals make informed decisions about their relationships.

Relationship Counselor Shivani Misri Sadhoo shares Some Small Gestures That Can Enhance Your Relationship

At times, falling in love and being in a relationship may seem easy in the beginning. But maintaining a relationship and sailing through all the rough water is a challenge that the majority of the couples face. Is there any magic formula that may help you make your relationship grow stronger? There are not really, but surely some gestures and acts can bring two individuals closer. In fact, the accumulation of small gestures has a greater impact on the happiness of the couple than big but less frequent gestures.

Shivani Misri Sadhoo who is a top Marriage Counsellor, Relationship Expert and Founder of Saarthi Counselling Services talks about some of the small gestures that can enhance your relationship if you are going through a rough phase in your love life. Here, are some of them.

Compliment Your Partner, Genuinely

Compliments are a good way of letting your partner know that you still find him/her attractive. Sometimes, when you are with the same person for a significant time, you begin taking their efforts for granted. Why bury your love under the weight of your hectic schedule? Appreciate their efforts and achievements that you feel deserve recognition and compliment.

These small gestures are a strong way of showing that you are paying attention that will make them feel more valued.

Plan A Small Surprise

Spending months and years in a relationship, you become so comfortable in your own ways that you do not bother to express your love to the significant one. It does not imply that you do not love them anymore, it is a sign of stability. But should you allow the sparks to fly away by keeping it monotonous? At times, when words fall short to thank their presence in life, why not plan for small surprises? While spending lavishly is not necessary, surprise your partner with a gift or simply take them to a movie or dinner date. A small surprise will not only brighten their mood but will make them feel more loved.

Do A Random Act Of Kindness

Small gestures can make your partner really feel happy. Holding hands, preparing their favorite dish, assisting them to schedule an appointment or picking them up from the office are all small gestures of showing how deeply invested you are in this relationship. These are also a small indication that there is someone in the corner who pays attention to their daily needs.

Spend Good Time Together

Spending some worthy time together is a healthy way of keeping the spark alive in a relationship. Good time with your partner can be as easy as making an attempt to remain involved in each other’s lives, be it a walk, weekend drive or normal conversation about each other’s dreams and aspirations. As long as you can feel good around each other and give undivided attention to your significant one in things you do, it will be quality and a good time.

Reassurance

Everybody loves to be adored and a bit of reassurance is like an icing on the cake. You may think that your partner already knows how much you love him/her, but a reminder that you will always have their back will uplift their mood and make your bond even stronger. Letting your partner know how much you love them is always a good idea of showing your affection.