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By Mélanie Berliet — Updated on Jun 25, 2022
When any relationship starts to fall apart, you can be left wondering if it's time to break up or if it's worth trying to fix the broken pieces.
While love isn't the only thing that's necessary for a relationship to stand the test of time, it does mean something.
And giving up on someone you truly love may leave you heartbroken for years to come.
Here are the 19 signs your broken relationship is worth saving:
1. You don't want anyone else
When your practical side starts reminding you that there are plenty of other fish in the proverbial sea, you instinctively tell it to be quiet.
You don’t want to think about all the other great candidates out there — even the wealthier, more attractive, kinder ones.
You don’t want to be reassured of your market value, either. You’d rather things in your relationship just go back to the way they were.
2. The thought of them with someone else makes you sick
When you picture your significant other hooking up with someone else, it makes your stomach turn and the hair on your arms stand tall, but not out of jealousy or possessiveness.
It sickens you to know you’ve lost something so precious — the safe, loving intimacy that once defined your relationship — and you desperately want that back, even if you’re not quite ready to do what it takes to resurrect it.
3. Being single doesn’t sound awesome...
... even if it means you get to hook up with the guy you’ve been crushing on at work forever. Or that you can finally go crazy on Tinder.
4. Getting revenge seems foolish
You entertain plenty of doubts and vengeful thoughts, but once you think your hypothetical plot all the way through, you quickly realize how dumb it would be to drain the bank account, cheat, or ransack the apartment out of anger.
Exacting revenge on someone you care about won’t feel good.
5. You can’t imagine living with anyone except your person
After all, your wardrobe wouldn’t look quite right hanging next to anyone else’s — a ridiculous thought, maybe, but whatever.
6. You can’t imagine traveling with anyone but them, either
Your bras and underthings can’t be packed in a suitcase with anyone else’s — another ridiculous thought, maybe, but you’re OK with that.
7. You'd rather be bored with them than excited with anyone else
Lately, hanging out always seems to end in fighting, but there’s no one else you’d rather waste time with.
You want to binge-watch Netflix with your boyfriend or girlfriend, even if things are too contentious to risk deconstructing television plots.
8. You never take your fights 'too far'
No matter how nasty the arguments get, you still hold back the hurtful stuff.
Something always stops you from going to the pitch-black place from which there’s no turning back.
9. You still like the way your partner smells in the morning...
...and not just because their scent is wonderfully familiar.
10. You respect your partner as a human...
...even if you hate their guts right now.
11. You’re still physically attracted to them, too
You just might not want to be intimate with them right now. You’ll have to, of course, eventually — when it’s time to make babies.
They’re the only reasonable option for mothering or fathering your future children.
12. Even now, your partner manages to make you laugh...
...reminding you that your inside jokes are awesomely resilient.
13. You're still proud of them
When you watch your significant other interact with strangers or acquaintances, you can’t help feeling a sense of pride for being associated with them.
There’s value in being on the team and you know it on some level.
14. As terrible as things are, you feel happy when your partner gets good news
No, you’re not that good of a person. But your vicarious pleasure could be a sign of undying affection.
15. You know exactly how they are feeling at any given time
No bad stretch seems to blunt your ability to intuit your significant other’s moods.
16. You're not out there flirting with other people
You never turn your “I’m available” light on all the way up when things get shaky.
17. It doesn’t make you feel that good when strangers hit on you, anyway
If anything, being hit on reminds you how hard it is to find someone worth holding onto.
18. You know how much work it will take to get back to 'the good place' — but the work doesn’t scare you
You’re willing to do whatever it takes, even if you’re not quite ready to start yet.
19. You never forget 'the good place'
When you think about your first few months as a couple, the blissful, early relationship feelings rise up from somewhere deep within to tickle your heart, reminding you that they’re still there, waiting to be re-lit.
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Mélanie Berliet is a media executive and author who works as SVP and Group General Manager of the Home & Design team at Dotdash Meredith, overseeing Better Homes & Gardens, Real Simple, Southern Living, Martha Stewart Living, and more.
This article was originally published at Thought Catalog. Reprinted with permission from the author.