"You still love him, but you don't feel close to him. Perhaps your lives are busy with kids, activities and work. You might feel like you've lost the connection you initially had. You've reached a point in your relationship where you realize that you no longer know his thoughts and feelings, and you are quite sure he doesn't know yours."
"It is usually a slow drift that happens over time without one defining moment. It can start with missed bids for attention, missed attempts to be affectionate. Maybe your husband tries to talk to you after a stressful day at work, but you are busy helping your son with homework and dismiss him. Or you ask him if he wants to go for a morning walk, but he says he wants to watch the game."
Couples can still love each other while growing emotionally distant due to busy schedules, parental responsibilities, and work obligations. Emotional disconnection often begins as a slow drift caused by missed bids for attention, affectionate attempts, and unaddressed small slights. Conversations shift to logistical or surface-level topics, leaving deeper thoughts and feelings unshared. Loneliness can persist even when partners live together, producing distraction and inability to engage in the present. Awareness of the disconnection can become a turning point that allows for deliberate changes, rebuilding emotional intimacy through intentional attention, responsive bids, and renewed communication patterns.
Read at The Gottman Institute
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