Marriage!
A union of two to become one is supposed to be the most romantic concept ever, and it is.
However, unlike the Disney version, marriage is not a utopia.
There are only happily ever afters when the reality of marriage is faced by both parties and handled by them together.
Marriage, in reality, is a tale of two people working together to build a home, regardless of their differences.
Marriage is like a plant in the nursery.
Intensive care will make it blossom, and neglect will kill the plant.
So, if you are wondering what neglect in marriage is, kindly read on.
It is that period in marriage when one person in the relationship begins to take the other person for granted.
It occurs when one party stops putting in effort to help the relationship blossom.
It can happen either when both people stop making time for each other or when one of them seems too busy all the time to make time for the other.
This may be because of so many other activities either party is involved in.
For instance, if your wife is feeling neglected, it may be because you are spending much more time at work or with the guys, yet you can’t make time for a date night with your wife.
You may have reduced the way you show your wife affection and become emotionally distant from her.
If you are in a marriage and you are wondering what signs you should look out for to know if your wife is feeling neglected by you, this article is for you.
9 Obvious Signs Your Wife is Feeling Neglected in Your Marriage
1. Poor communication
One of the first things that take a major hit when your wife is feeling neglected by you is your communication with her.
Since she has been left to be with herself all along, she might as well carry on without any form of communication with you.
At that point, communication ceases to be a two-way street.
It becomes one-sided, with you always talking and your wife never listening or doing what suits her best.
When couples are committed to each other, they communicate their thoughts and opinions with each other very freely.
They share their plans for the future, hopes, and dreams freely without any restriction.
If you are not experiencing this sort of hitch-free communication with your wife, it is probably one of the signs that your wife is feeling neglected by you in the marriage.
It could be through your direct or indirect acts over time.
2. Little or no intimacy
This is another thing that suffers a hit when your wife feels neglected by you.
It becomes hard for her to initiate any form of intimacy with you, and she will not even be willing to come close to you because of the constant feeling of neglect that has piled over time.
She is more of a woman in her own shell and doesn’t want anything bothering her at that point because she is already used to beig without you.
Intimate discussions begin to look like an abomination, and physical intimacy is something that only occurs once in a blue moon due to the mental distance between you two.
Her emotional frustration is carried on to the bond you both share, even on the physical aspect of it.
This is a major sign that your wife is feeling neglected in the marriage.
With no emotional connection, intimacy becomes a sidelined aspect of your relationship.
3. She complains that you never spend time with her
If she complains that you never spend time with her, it is another sign that you are beginning to fall short in your duties as a husband.
When she complains, this is a sign that while she has noticed that you are not spending much time with her, she still wants you to spend time with her.
This sign shows that she still cares about you and wants to make things work.
Don’t ever waste this opportunity.
Take the hint and set your priorities straight so you can save your marriage.
4. Her priority changes
When two people are committed to a relationship, they are each other’s top priority.
However, if you notice that in your marriage, your wife is beginning to treat you like you are not a priority then it may be a sign that she is feeling neglected in the marriage and setting defensive mechanisms in place to reduce her hurt.
She may begin to prioritize her own needs and interests over yours.
She may even begin to take on new hobbies and projects without thinking of how you feel.
This is because she has free time on her hands that she is not expending on you and she can afford to divert the time into something else that makes her happy.
If you notice that your wife is involved in new activities and projects, it may just be her way of dealing with the neglect she is facing in the marriage.
5. She may seem to resent you
When you get neglected by people, your knee-jerk response is probably resentment and anger.
In your marriage, if you notice that your wife’s behavior toward you is masked by thinly veiled anger and resentment, you should suspect that it may be a sign that she is feeling neglected.
This can show up as defensive responses when having conversations, passive aggression and so on.
She might even take her aggression on you by lashing out as a response to what should not have constituted a problem naturally.
This is a smoke signal that your wife probably feels neglected and doesn’t want you troubling her and her space again.
You will be doing your marriage more harm if you react the same way.
The mature thing to do is to realize how you have been neglecting her and make positive changes.
6. She shows signs of insecurity
Insecurity in marriage is almost always a product of mistrust and neglect.
When a husband begins to neglect his wife, it may begin to breed suspicion and mistrust in her mind.
She begins to wonder what you are doing all the time that takes up your time and if it somehow involves another woman.
In this situation, you might want to take a step back and assess the true cause of her insecurity.
It is at this point that insecurity sets in.
Your wife is no longer sure of her place in your life, and the balance of your marriage seems to be hanging on a thread.
At this point, whenever you do things, she jumps to the worst possible conclusions because she feels insecure about herself and the marriage altogether.
7. She is always sad
If you notice that your wife is always sad, this may be a sign that she is feeling neglected in the marriage.
Her outward expression is a reflection of what goes on inside her.
She may be feeling like her needs are not being met, or that she is no longer a priority in your life.
The feeling of being unwanted that constantly plagues her will in no time manifest outwardly as sadness in her daily living.
8. Silent treatment
This is almost the worst it can get.
It not only shows that your wife feels neglected by you, but it also shows that she has gotten to a point where she doesn’t care what happens either way.
When your wife no longer feels anything for you, it is a sign that your relationship is on the deathbed and about to take its last breath.
Arguments and complaints from your wife are still displays of passion, even if they are negative ones.
The moment your wife begins to display apathy towards you, it shows that she no longer cares enough about the marriage to put up a fight for it.
9. She cheats on you
This is the apex reaction of neglecting your wife in marriage.
It is the sign that follows apathy.
After she has spent time and effort trying to draw your attention, she may finally cheat on you or divorce you.
It is a defense for her to finding happiness and stability outside a marriage that was crumbling on the inside.
Either way, she will find a way to escape the marriage because at that point she no longer has hopes and dreams for the marriage.
Final words
Marriage is not a happily ever after venture, it needs intensive care to keep it blooming.
Partners shouldn’t relent after a few years of marriage and abandon their marriage for other activities.
If you find that your wife is exhibiting any of the signs, introspecting deeply will show you how you have neglected her.
You must immediately start to make her your top priority once again.