01. Your partner is starting to appear withdrawn or distant. If your partner has appeared distant or withdrawn from you recently, it could just be that they are going through a difficult period – perhaps work has been very stressful lately, or there has been some family turmoil going on behind the scenes. However, their remoteness from you may indicate that they are no longer completely happy or invested in your relationship, particularly if they do not appear to be present or thoughtful while they are with you.

Dr. Nikki Goldstein, relationship specialist and author of Single But Dating: A Field Guide to Dating in the Digital Age, believes that sensation of distance between you should be taken seriously. “If someone is pulling away, it might be a tell-tale sign that they are feeling smothered or not happy in the relationship,” she told the magazine Elite Daily.

If you sense your partner is withdrawing, Goldstein recommends giving them space. Wait a while before trying to figure out what’s wrong and what it means for your relationship. Everything will eventually work out, one way or another. “Don’t follow them,” she stated. “If they’re pulling away, give them some room and see if they come back. “They might just need some time.”

02. You are not doing as many things together. When you initially start dating someone and are still in the honeymoon period, it is normal to spend a lot of time with them — but it is also acceptable to spend a little less time together as your relationship progresses and you establish a pattern. What could be a red flag, however, is if your partner stops accompanying you to social events or if you both begin doing fewer and fewer things together.

According to relationship and etiquette expert April Masini, if your partner has been excluding you from some aspects of their life and attending events without you, it may be an indication that your relationship is deteriorating.  “When your partner is proud of being with you, he or she will show you off, but if your partner is looking to break up with you, they won’t invite you to social events where they might flirt and meet other people,” Masini told the newspaper.

03. You have been fighting more than usual. Do you feel like you and your partner have been having more disputes recently? The occasional disagreement or quarrel is very natural (after all, everyone is unique, and relationships require a great deal of emotion and compromise!), but excessive fighting, particularly over little issues, might be a warning flag.

According to Dr. Goldstein, if your partner picks conflicts with you frequently, it may indicate deeper discontent. “Often if someone is being overly argumentative about smaller things, they are holding onto deeper issues that they are struggling with,” she told me.

04.  Your partner has been going hot and cold with you. A significant clue that your spouse is starting to check out of your relationship is if they run hot and cold on you – if you’re constantly unsure about where you stand with them or how they feel about you, there’s clearly a problem. Not only does it indicate that they are undecided, but it may also be frustrating and perplexing for you if your partner appears cold and distant one week and then lavishes you with attention the next.

Susan Winter, a relationship specialist and bestselling book, told Elite Daily that this could indicate that they are considering splitting up with you but are feeling bad about it. “Vacillating back and forth between these two extremes is a clear indicator of the internal battle they’re having within themselves,” Winter told me.