Is it Time to Leave the Table?

Overview

Leaving a romantic relationship is not easy. We are all suckers for endurance. We believe that if we can hold on one more day, month, year, etc., then we will finally have the person we have always wanted in our lives. However, there is no guarantee that if you try long with a person that the person will change or be a better person for you.

You can only change you. You cannot change another person. That person would have to assess their own struggle or issue and begin the steps towards change. Not everyone believes that he or she needs to change. Therefore, it makes your task even harder because you stay in relationships thinking that the person wants to change but not realizing that the person is just putting on a face.

At the end of the day, only you can determine if it is time to leave your relationship. If you are in an abusive relationship, it is always time to leave that type of relationship. There are no exceptions because preservation of life is a priority. If you are in a marriage where one of the partners struggles with finances and there have been many times where the threat of homelessness is clear, then an exit is necessary. This does not mean that you need to exit the marriage, but the process needs to begin for exiting financial instability. You cannot live continuously in chaos and anxiety.

A financially unstable life is one that produces dysfunction and sustained misdirection. This means that you, your partner, and the marriage is off course. The only way to get back on course is through self-reflection, confronting the problem exhibited in both of you, and designing a financial plan that is sustainable and that includes standards, boundaries, and expectations.

Determining when to leave the table will be predicated on when you have had enough, but I also believe that there is a time early in the relationship where exit is obvious. However, only you can truly determine what is obvious to you.

Regardless, knowing when to exit a romantic relationship will require emotional, psychological, spiritual, and financial considerations. Think about the following.

Pre-Task Reflection

Has there ever been a time you knew it was time to exit a romantic relationship? What did you do or not do?

Task Questions

Is it time to leave my romantic relationship?

What is my exit plan?

Video Discussion

Here is a quick video on the topic.

Visit our YouTube channel, Regina Y. Favors (@reginayfavors) to access all full-length and short-length videos on this topic. You can also click the tab, aptly titled, on the http://www.reginayfavors.com site.

About What Do You Bring to the Table? Series

What Do You Bring to the Table? Series focuses on preparing your table for engagement by gauging your understanding and capacity for funding a romantic relationship emotionally, psychologically, spiritually, and financially.

Workbook Companion

What Do You Bring to the Table? Series: A Workbook Companion is an extension of the Rebound Relationship Research under the “Rebounding” tab and the video lessons housed under the “Toxic Encounters Books” tab.

Rebound Relationship Research presents an understanding of the table, which explores toxic romantic relationships characterized under the category of rebounding and rebound relationships. It explores the scholarship of rebounding and rebound relationships.

The Toxic Encounters Books house the three base titles, which further houses additional scholarship on rebounding and rebound relationships. The titles create the Overcoming Rebound Relationships Curriculum. The curriculum focuses on when you need to leave the table. What Do You Bring to the Table? Series extends the discussion to consider social media views of how individuals perceive “your contribution” to a romantic relationship.