Maybe you’re a workaholic and spend 80 hours a week at the office. Perhaps you come home every night wanting to complain about your micromanaging boss or annoying coworkers. Whatever the culprit, our careers often affect our personal relationships — and in extreme cases, they can even ruin marriages. Here are five signs your work is destroying your marriage:
You put work priorities ahead of your relationship
If you find yourself opting out of activities you would normally engage in with your spouse, such as going to a movie, visiting friends or just enjoying time together, you could be placing undue pressure on the relationship,says Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert.
You have nothing to talk to them about except work
If you literally have nothing to talk about with your spouse other than work, then this is a bad sign.
“If you have trouble compartmentalizing work and personal life, you likely will go into discussions about people and projects without even realizing,” Taylor says.
It’s a habit that you have to make a conscious effort to kick.
You arrive late to important personal events or frequently cancel because of work
This can create a slow build-up of resentment from your spouse and create the impression you are choosing your work intentionally over your personal commitments, says Kerr.
Your spouse has become your career therapist
If you find yourself constantly seeking advice from your spouse on your next “move” at work, you could be hurting your marriage, Taylor says.
You don’t feel like socializing
If you’re beginning to feel that your mind is in some far-off place, then your spouse probably detects it.
“If you’re preoccupied with work once you get home, or even into the weekend, you may feel that you need to keep to yourself,” says Taylor. “You may deprive yourself of normal social activities with your partner.”