You love each other. But lately, something feels stuck. You might experience:

• The same argument, on repeat. You're caught in a repetitive loop, the same fight over and over, just with different details. You know how it will go before it even starts, and neither of you feels heard by the end.

• It's not what you say, it's how you say it. The way you handle conflict has become unhealthy—criticism, jabs, or shutting down completely. You're both hurting each other without meaning to, and you don't know how to stop.

• Trust has been broken. Whether it's infidelity, betrayal, or accumulated broken promises, the foundation feels shaky. You're not sure if you can rebuild it, but you're not ready to give up either.

• You feel misunderstood or ignored. You constantly feel like your partner doesn't really hear you. Or worse, like they're not even trying to.

If one or both of you are Asian or Asian American, you might also be dealing with:

• Different ideas about family involvement. Maybe one of you naturally involves parents in major decisions while the other sees this as a lack of autonomy. What feels like respect to one person may feel like overstepping to the other.

• Difficulty being vulnerable. You may have grown up learning not to directly express your emotions, making it hard to share what you're really feeling with your partner, even when you want to. What is unspoken may turn into anger or resentment later. 

• The effort you're putting in feels unseen. Maybe you were raised to anticipate what the other person wants and set your own needs aside to meet their needs. But when what they want is not acknowledged and your sacrifice is not appreciated, both of you may end up frustrated.