We big kids are navigating relationships in a world that demands A LOT. Constant career pressures, economic instability, sociopolitical turbulence, family expectations, personal ambitions. The external stressors are heavy. Really heavy. And sometimes, they all pile up one after the other, until you start questioning everything. You even start doubting your relationship. Am I with the wrong person? Should I break up with them?

When life gets overwhelming, your relationship starts absorbing the weight. Long distance, financial stress, burnout, conflicting schedules — these can all make your relationship feel harder than it used to.

It’s a very human defense. When the outside world feels unbearable, we look inward for something we can control, something we can fix. And sadly, our relationships often become the target.

Instead of recognizing that circumstances are the real enemy, we start seeing each other as the problem.

It’s easier to think that maybe we’re just not compatible, than to sit with the uncomfortable truth that even loving relationships can feel strained when life itself feels too heavy.

Today, we prize individual happiness and fulfillment (which is important), but it can make us less tolerant of the natural mess that long-term relationships sometimes look like. If a relationship stops feeling "easy" or "fun," it’s tempting to believe that it’s fundamentally broken.

But before you make any big decisions, pause. Ask yourself honestly. Am I considering a breakup because the love is gone? Or because life right now is unbearably stressful and everything feels hard?

Signs that breaking up right away isn't the way to go:

• You still feel deep care and love for your partner

• Your frustrations sound more about external situations (money, mismatched schedules, etc.) than about each other

• You feel more exhausted than angry

• You have doubts about everything in your life, not just your relationship

• You miss your partner when you're apart, even when you're fighting

If you’re considering a break up, it doesn’t automatically mean that you’re falling out of love. It could simply mean that you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, and desperate for something, anything, to feel easier.

Because if the real issue is stress, not love, then your relationship could actually become a safe boat, not the storm. It might need repairs, yes. Probably some breathing room, too. But it still could carry you through. Abandoning it without checking the weather outside could mean losing something precious.

Think about it.