Although an emotional affair does not involve any physical intimacy, it can be considered cheating, and may hurt the intimacy of an existing relationship. While there are people who believe that an emotional affair is harmless, it is often a gateway to full blown infidelity.
For many people, being deceived and betrayed can be the most painful thing to experience from a relationship. Not only is your spouse not sharing their deepest thoughts with you, but in fact they are sharing their feelings with someone other than you! You have earned that right as their spouse, but now your bond has been broken. Although people in an emotional affair feel guilt free because of the absence of physical intimacy, their partners may feel as damaged as when their partner commits a sexual affair. You may feel the agony and stress of not knowing if, or when, it may erupt into a sexual affair.
There are a number of signs that can make you aware if you or your partner is beginning to develop an emotional affair. For one, you feel like you are withdrawing from your partner. You become uninterested in being intimate with him or her, whether it is physically or emotionally. You also begin to look forward to spending time and being alone with the other person and when your partner confronts you about it, you become defensive. You will start to hide secrets from your partner and share more with the third party too.
All of these signs can be the start of your relationship's downfall and everything about it is called cheating. There's nothing wrong with being friends with other people outside your relationship, what becomes wrong is when you start to feel a different kind of attraction to them and it doesn't stop.
An emotional affair is an infidelity and is a serious matter. Remember that if you commit to a relationship, you commit to being honest and faithful to your partner always. If you think that you have grown apart, it is not okay to do things behind their back. It is better to tell them upfront and end the relationship, than leave them hoping that you still love them.
Learn the signs of an emotional affair before it happens to you. Your special bond has been shattered by your spouse creating an intimacy with someone else. Your pain is just as real as them having a physical affair. Visit http://surviving-infidelity.net and discover the steps you must take to save your relationship. You've earned the intimacy, now make it yours again.
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