What to do when married and in love with someone else? You never meant for it to happen, nor did you think you would ever develop romantic feelings for someone other than your spouse. But now that you have fallen in love with someone else, things have gotten intense.
You might be cycling through shame, guilt, or confusion along with the excitement of new love. One of the MOST challenging problems you can have is being a married woman and in love with someone other than your spouse.
Sleepless nights, sadness, and secrecy combined with the heady feeling of falling in love might make it nearly impossible to know what to do moving forward.
You might wonder how long this can go on – and although there are no easy answers, this article will help you sort through the dilemma you have found yourself in!
Is It Normal to Have Feelings for Someone Else While Married?
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As human beings, it’s difficult to avoid developing feelings or attraction towards people around us – even if we’re not even happily married people.
Yes, it is normal – and relatively common – for married people to love someone other than their partners.
It happens more often than you think, but not all people who fall in love with other people pursue affairs or end their marriages.
Over time, marriage can become stale and eventually fail to satisfy both partners’ needs – ultimately leading to romantic desire, excitement, connection, and love outside the relationship.
Just because you have feelings for someone other than your partner doesn’t mean something is fundamentally wrong with your relationship or marriage.
Your spouse can’t possibly fulfill all of your needs, and you’ll inevitably be attracted to people outside your marriage.
Even if your relationship is solid and stable, at some point, you might find yourself attracted to someone else but have no desire to cheat. But sometimes, a fleeting feeling turns into something more.
Even happily – married couples, people find themselves drawn to or fall in love with other people.
Loving being a married woman but in love with someone other than your spouse doesn’t mean you’re terrible.
You’re a human with feelings, but those feelings don’t need to become significant or indicate something wrong with your relationship, spouse, or the person for which you have feelings.
How to Handle Falling In Love
If you’re married but in love with someone else in a long-term relationship where the romance and passion of the early days have faded, part of you might long for an exciting connection, intense emotional connection, intimacy again, and the burning desire for romantic love. There is no shame if you are married but in love and love with another.
If you’re self-aware, committed, and still love your spouse, you don’t need to feel guilty about following your feelings for the other person – you can handle them with wisdom and maturity. Just don’t punish yourself or drown in guilt.
You are committed to staying married to your spouse and never intended to fall for someone else, so why did it happen?
Common Reasons for Falling in Love With Someone Else When Married
Developing feelings for someone else is more common when you’re experiencing problems in your marriage.
When you married, you probably thought you were in it for the long term and that your love for the other woman and your spouse would last forever. Yet, now you are faced with a decision and extremely conflicted emotions.
Maybe someone came along that sparked intense feelings of attraction. You might believe you love your spouse and this new relationship or person or feel guilty about not loving your spouse and this new person or relationship anymore.
Not only is this uncomfortable, but you may also feel rejected and unsure of what to do to fix this situation.
You might not realize that all intimate relationships experience highs and lows.
Love is not static, and you may have come to the painful realization that instead of actively working to strengthen your love, you no longer feel the deep emotions you once felt for your spouse anymore.
Like anything valuable, the love between two people must be nurtured and maintained.
Most Common Reasons for Falling in Love with Someone Else
Neglect
For example, imagine you marry the love of your life, but your partner gets a demanding job with long hours and lots of travel. You rarely see your former spouse anymore; over time, you feel you’re no longer a priority.
Your needs aren’t satisfied, and you feel alone and abandoned. You might as well be single!
You and your partner might be busy with your busy lives, careers, household tasks, hobbies, children… the list goes on and on.
It was probably easy to neglect your relationship when you focused on balancing life’s responsibilities. You take each other for granted, and the deep connection you once felt crumbles.
This weakened bond makes the marriage vulnerable to outside factors that can damage it further. Emotional connection is essential, and occasionally your partner must address your needs. If not, you might seek comfort, affection, and emotional fulfillment outside the marriage.
Laziness
In the age of technology, it’s easy to forget to appreciate our spouse affair partner’s presence and companionship. They may seek appreciation elsewhere.
Maybe your spouse fails to invest emotional and physical energy into making you feel loved, respected and appreciated. They are so confident in the marriage that they completely ignore the possibility of someone else entering the picture.
Arguing and Bickering
Continuous arguing, nitpicking, and bickering will erode any relationship.
Conflict within a marriage is expected, and if you and your spouse deal with conflict in healthy ways, it’s suitable for your wedding. Unfortunately, regular fighting might lead to cold detachment and distancing, which can push you to look elsewhere for a romantic connection.
Complicated External Circumstances
Maybe you live apart from your spouse because of work-related reasons. Health problems or illnesses can damage a marriage. Caring for aging parents can also place a strain on a marriage.
There are infinite reasons why external circumstances might drive you to fall in love with someone else. You might be unsure why you feel the way you do.
Loving someone other than your spouse might go against your core values and personal beliefs, and you might not have a “good” reason for falling in love with someone else.
Review these statements to clarify why you developed romantic feelings for someone other than your spouse.
- You feel unloved, unaccepted, disliked, or disrespected by your spouse.
- You meet someone who finally understands you.
- There is a lack of sexual satisfaction in your marriage.
- You want emotional validation from someone else because you’re not getting it from your spouse.
- You don’t love your spouse.
- Your marriage lacks excitement and passion, and you want new and thrilling experiences.
- Your feelings for someone else distract you from addressing what you’d like to change within your marriage.
So, What Are Your Options?
If you happen to realize you’ve found yourself in this situation, you have some difficult decisions.
Maybe you love this new person too, but it hasn’t gotten physical (yet!).
Whether the affair is physical or emotional, you can take steps to gain clarity. But remember, no one can decide what to do in this situation.
In your heart, you might already know what to do. Your mind is probably clouded with questions, doubt, fear, and confusion.
You might be worried about social and family pressures and how your choices will impact your spouse and children.
Do these questions haunt you?
- Will divorcing my spouse cause too many problems?
- What will my parents and other family members think of me?
- How will my kids take the news?
- Can I repair the damage if I stay with my spouse and sever ties with my lover?
Questions might outnumber answers right now. And that’s okay.
Realistically You Have 5 Options:
- End the relationship with your lover and work on your marriage
- Continue the relationship with your lover and remain in your marriage
- Leave your spouse and commit to your lover
- Wait until your lover ends the connection, and then work on your marriage
- End both relationships
Each option has life-changing consequences involving your family, children, friends, lifestyle, personal beliefs, values, religion, and spouse.
6 Steps for Deciding Your Romantic Future
The following six steps will help you begin the final decision-making process.
Step #1: Ask How and Why It Happened
Reflect on the issues in your marriage that may have led to this situation. Seek the assistance of a couple’s therapist if necessary.
This situation didn’t happen “just happen,” Now that you realize you’re the person involved, you’re responsible for dealing with it appropriately.
Review your first marriage and analyze what happened. With enough reflection, you’ll discover clues that indicate why you strayed.
Don’t make excuses for yourself. Saying, “I don’t know!” or “It’s not my fault” isn’t helpful and won’t contribute to finding a solution.
You can think about how and why you fell in love with someone else. Avoid blaming your spouse or lover, even if you believe one or both are partially responsible.
Objectively assess the situation in a mature and level-headed way.
Step #2: Deeply Reflect on Your Feelings
Love and attraction can be confusing – especially if you’re torn between two people. You might question whether or not you still love your spouse or if you’re really in love with the other person.
Is it simply a passing infatuation?
Is it just a crush?
It helps to examine your emotions. To do this effectively, you might require the assistance of a psychotherapist or relationship coach.
Step #3: Consider Short- and Long-Term Consequences
Your affair and choices will affect the busy lives of everyone around you.
Short-term consequences include how your affair affects your sex life and the lives of those around you right now or soon. Consider the following questions:
- Is this affair simply lust or infatuation?
- Why does your lover make you feel good in this present moment?
- Why is your spouse unable to fulfill your emotional needs?
- If you decide to tell your spouse, what will the reaction be?
- If you have children, how will they be affected?
- How will your friends and extended family react?
You might believe you’ve met the love of your life and your marriage is over. But human beings and emotions are complex.
You might feel deep love for this new person now, but it might fade as quickly as it began. So, evaluating the situation as objectively and logically as possible is essential.
Thinking long-term isn’t easy when you’re married but in love with someone else. It’s particularly challenging when you’re thinking about the futures of not one but (at least!) three people. Ask yourself:
- How does falling in love with someone else affect the marriage I’ve maintained for so many years?
- How will it affect my relationship with my spouse, children, extended family, or friends?
- Will divorce be financially devastating to my spouse and me?
- How will my lover’s life be affected (spouse, children, finances, and so forth)?
It might seem impossible to imagine the future when you are caught up in such intense emotions now. But if you don’t consider the long-term consequences, you risk ruining peoples’ lives – including yours.
Step #4: Ask Yourself the Hard Questions
Deciding what to do in this situation requires honesty, self-reflection, and time. Asking (and honestly answering) these questions can be a painful process, but it is an essential step – otherwise, you might fall into the same patterns as before. Ask yourself:
- Why did I fall in love with the other person?
- What exactly am I receiving from my lover that I was not receiving from my spouse?
- How was I feeling in my marriage before my lover came along?
- What was the void in my marriage the other person filled?
- Are there things my spouse is not giving me emotionally, physically, or sexually that caused me to look elsewhere?
- How did I handle problems in my marriage?
- Can my marriage be salvaged?
- What is lacking in my marriage?
- Was I bored or unhappy with my life?
- What do I want, and what am I willing to work for?
Be as well being completely honest with yourself. Uncovering the answers doesn’t mean your first marriage is over – it does mean your new relationship just might be valuable enough to examine some harrowing truths.
Allow yourself to be realistic and honest about your relationship experts and what you can or cannot provide each other.
Step #5: Take Responsibility
Focus on yourself and not your spouse or lover. It’s time to do some soul-searching to discover your part in the situation.
Falling in love with sex life with someone else might have nothing to do with your spouse.
Your childhood, attachment issues, past relationships, insecurities, and other emotional baggage might have contributed to you seeking emotional fulfillment and attention from someone other than your spouse.
Address and heal these issues to prevent the same unhealthy pattern from occurring again.
When you choose growth and more self-awareness and self-esteem and-esteem-awareness, you can expand your love and attraction for your spouse or lover.
Step #6: Seek Professional Help
Maybe you’ve read many other relationship advice articles with conflicting advice. You might feel alone, unsure of what to do, and unable to find the answers. A therapist or relationship coach may help you make the best decision for your unique relationships and situation.
Seeking psychotherapy or relationship coaching from a best friend is a great way to receive guidance on emotional affairs.
Having someone knowledgeable about marriage work and marital issues, someone who will listen to you and provide unbiased advice can make all the difference.
While a counselor or coach can’t do all the work for you, they can provide support, tools, and resources as you work through this.
Additionally, marriage workshops and virtual relationship coaching boot camps are available. After you’ve completed the above six steps, it’s time to make a choice.
What to Do if You Want to Save Your Marriage
If you decide to work on your marriage, stop all contact with the other woman or person involved. Stop all communication with the other woman or person, including social media connections. You can’t continue mending your marriage if your lover is in the picture.
Your focus, energy, and attention should be on working on your marriage. Ask yourself, “What’s required of me to rebuild my marriage?” Redirect the free time and energy you gave to the other person to your spouse.
Rekindle the Love With Your Spouse
If you want to save your marriage, it’s essential to reconnect with your spouse and address previous issues.
Falling in love with someone else is a wake-up call to push you toward making changes within your marriage.
Many married people but in love with someone else decide they want to save their marriages. If you have been a married couple for a long time, you understand the sparks, excitement, and intimacy sometimes fade.
Ultimately, a young relationship’s initial passion and fireworks can’t sustain a long-term commitment. Marriage is about never giving up and cultivating love and attraction through life’s stages.
You and your spouse must be 100% committed. If the goal is saving your marriage, make that goal a daily, active choice. Here’s what you can do…
Reconnect
You might have lost interest in your spouse long distance relationship because your focus has been on your lover long distance relationship. Fortunately, you can reconnect by doing romantic activities as a couple.
Some good examples of romantic activities include:
- Planning a date night at least once each week.
- Spending at least a few hours together each day.
- Frequently calling or texting each other.
- Reminiscing and recalling what you love about your spouse and thinking back to what it was like when you first met.
Pay Attention
Your spouse might have new hobbies, interests, or goals. Care about what they like or dislike. Be genuinely interested when discussing hobbies and interests or likes and dislikes. Offer support, and try to engage in hobbies and activities together.
Speak Up
Communicate how much your partner means to you. Use words that build them up, and express your love and support. Take action. Even simple tasks like washing dishes or giving your partner a massage are gestures that can help revitalize marriage.
Focus on Physical Touch
Physical touch will help to rekindle the love between a bad person between you and your spouse.
Increase physical contact through hugging, holding hands, and snuggling.
What to Do if You Want to Separate or Get a Divorce
It might be time to leave the marriage. If you have already checked out, admit it – whether or not you decide to continue the relationship with the other person.
You can’t save a marriage if you don’t want it to survive! Go back to considering the long-term consequences of divorce.
If You’re Considering Divorce, Ask Yourself:
- How will divorce affect me in the future?
- How will divorce affect my spouse?
- How will divorce affect the lives of the people that matter to me, like my children?
- Can I have an amicable split with my spouse? If not, how can this process be more manageable?
Divorce is the best option if you and your affair partner have decided the marriage is over. Seek legal advice and determine the best way to move forward.
Take Some Time off for Yourself
You might have an intense emotional connection with your lover and complete apathy for your spouse. Yet, you don’t want to stay with either person.
What can you do?
You don’t have to choose either situation.
When married to another woman and in love with someone else, a thought might have passed, “I need to leave my spouse to be with my lover!” But instead, consider just spending time, quality time together alone, and break it off with both.
Take the time to cultivate inner peace and tranquility. Taking a break from the stress and drama might also be a good idea.
In Conclusion
According to a CNN article, 20% of all are in love with someone else. Loving someone else other than your spouse is a challenging position for anyone. It’s a mix of intense, volatile, intense emotions and a great deal of uncertainty. You’ve experienced a life-changing and challenging situation.
Hopefully, this article helped you gain clarity and make the right decision for your future.
Whatever you decide to do, where you reconnect with your spouse or move on, be sure to commit to it 100%.
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