Are there signs your husband is cheating emotionally?
First of all, is there something like emotional cheating?
Yes, there is, and it’s a horrible situation to be in.
It’s arguably even worse than the usual cheating because, in this case, you’re not even sure he’s cheating on you.
Instead of misplaced pieces of jewellery or articles of clothing, you have to work with more minor clues and most times.
They’re not enough to put a nail in the coffin.
You’ll even begin to wonder if you’re paranoid and the cheating is happening only in your head.
Don’t worry — the intent of this article is to give you clarity on emotional cheating.
If you read to the end, you’ll be equipped with some of the most common signs your husband is cheating emotionally.
No matter how subtle the clues he leaves may be, here are eight ways to know if your husband is cheating emotionally:
8 Common Signs Your Husband Is Cheating Emotionally
1. He rarely talks with you
Has communication with your husband reduced drastically?
Usually, one of the best things about being in a relationship is having someone who you can talk with every day and share how your day went — the good, the bad and the ugly.
It’s beautiful to have a listening ear and a shoulder to lean on whenever it feels like the weight of the world is crashing on your head.
So, if he suddenly stops sharing details of his daily activities and even when you ask how his day went, you’re met with a mechanical “It went well” alarm bells should go off in your head.
He used to open up and share his feelings and activities with you, but not anymore.
Now, he seldom talks about anything with you.
It’s one of the strongest signs your husband is cheating emotionally.
If he isn’t talking to you, then he’s talking to someone else.
2. He suddenly needs privacy on his phone
If your husband was never big on phone privacy — using passwords, keeping his phone to himself and not letting anyone see what he’s doing whenever he’s using the phone.
And now, it seems like another personality was swapped into your husband’s body because this new person suddenly needs privacy for his phone.
He locks his phone with passwords and changes to a new password whenever he feels the old one has been compromised.
Using his phone as a calculator or clock is out of bounds for you too.
Whenever he’s using his phone, his body language suggests that he doesn’t want you to see what he’s doing because of the way he’ll angle his body to prevent you from having a peek at the phone.
You don’t understand this new, unusual behaviour.
It indicates he’s trying to hide something from you.
3. He picks fights with you constantly
Did your once calm and peace-loving husband suddenly turn around and begin to pick fights with you at every chance he gets?
You’ll find that; lately, your fights have been due to silly reasons that should have been overlooked.
You even have no idea how these things go from little arguments to becoming full-blown fights.
He can go as far as asking if you’re cheating on him and want to break up with him.
Whenever he starts using reverse psychology on you, he wants the easy way out.
He wants you to get so tired of the situation that you go ahead to break up with him and save him from going through the challenging task of sitting with you and ending your relationship.
He’s having an emotional entanglement with someone else.
4. He checks his DMs always
These days, he’s constantly checking his DMs.
It might be one of the signs your husband is cheating emotionally.
But if he has always been active on social media, it can be difficult to say or know what’s happening for sure.
If his social media presence is suddenly much more regular than before without any significant reason, and he’s constantly checking his DMs and stories to know who viewed him.
It’s enough to raise an eyebrow.
In a relationship, any deflection from the expected behaviour is enough reason to wonder what’s going on and ask questions.
You don’t necessarily need to be paranoid about it.
Just have a talk with him about it.
Don’t forget to trust your instincts while at it.
5. He’s mostly on his phone when you’re together
Even when you both go on dates, you’ll notice that he’s constantly texting someone on his phone.
Don’t get me wrong — your husband is not prohibited from using his phone whenever you’re together.
Sometimes, there are work emails that can’t wait for later to be attended to.
Or juicy gists in group chats that choose to come in when you’re having alone time with your husband.
It’s okay if he looks through them while apologising for the distraction and asking for some time.
But if you notice that he’s constantly typing away at his phone and his attention is barely with you, you’re sharing his attention with someone else.
The worst part of the situation is that you don’t even know who the someone else is.
Another thing to look out for is if he loves to hold your hands during dates, but now, his hands are occupied with his phone.
It’s a clear message.
6. He’s no longer interested in getting intimate with you
One of the obvious signs your husband is cheating emotionally is if he appears utterly uninterested in being intimate with you.
He doesn’t initiate sex anymore, and even if you do, he’s detached while at it.
If it’s unusual for him not to want to be intimate with you, then a general lack of intimacy (which includes decreased hugs, kisses, touches and hand-holding) is a big red flag.
Except he has some problems that you’re aware of that are suddenly making him cold.
It’s not normal to stay away from intimacy if everything is going well with the relationship.
7. He’s constantly comparing you to someone else
There’s a high chance that your husband will compare you with someone who he’s interested in.
It’s unfair to you because he’s seen you and all that you’re about in the relationship while the other woman is still in the fantasy stage with him, and so appears perfect to him.
From the outside, she appears all shiny and spotless to your husband because he hasn’t gotten to know her intricately.
However, it’s wrong of him to put you up against her for comparison because he’s downgrading you in someone else’s favour.
8. He’s acting with restraint around you
If you feel that there’s someone who he’s more flexible with out there, then it could be the case.
He stands you up at dinner to hang out with his new friend.
He’s unsure he has the money and time to go on a weekend trip with you.
When it comes to making space for you in his schedule, he’s very guarded, especially if these plans are for the future.
He’s taking his time to explore his options as he’s still deliberating.
For some reasons best known to him, he doesn’t want to end things with you now.
Perhaps, he’s not ready or sure of his next move yet.
Not making any promises while giving you some space helps him spend time emotionally with someone else, with you as his backup option.
Conclusion
Now that you’ve seen some signs that your husband is cheating emotionally, it is best to speak to him about it.
You don’t need to be confrontational or accusatory.
Just communicate your feelings and talk about how you can get back on track.
Also, note that this is not a one size fits it all shoe.
Your husband may be going through challenges that are making him emotionally unavailable and exhibiting such signs.
This is why communication is the bedrock of marriage or any relationship.
Communicate and seek ways to support him through it.
Seek professional help for your marriage if needed.
All the best!