What is an Emotional Affair?

Emotional and physical intimacy are the two pillars on which a relationship survives. A man and a woman, who are in a relationship, are the closest of friends. They share and talk about things, which they don't normally do with other people. They have a connection, an intimacy, which is felt much more than in any of their other relationships. This however begins to change when one of them gets involved in an emotional affair.

People who are involved in an emotional affair, may not even realize that they are in fact, having such an affair. Still, let us try to understand emotional infidelity by looking at its various aspects...

How Does it Start?

Today, most of us spend a majority of our time at our workplaces. Our colleagues get to see us more than our spouses. It usually starts when a person feels the need to confide in somebody, to share his thoughts and feelings, and instead of his spouse, a colleague lends him an ear. Initially, it's plain, simple friendship. But as the comfort level increases, both the persons start sharing intimate details of their lives with one another. They even discuss the marital problems they are having. Over time, such a situation arises that both the people involved in an emotional affair, feel more connected and closer to each other than with their spouses.

Signs of an Emotional Affair

The signs are not as obvious as the signs of an extramarital affair. The partners are not involved sexually, so in a way they do not feel guilty or think of themselves as cheating on their spouses. Still, having an emotional affair does take its toll on their relationship with their spouse.

Hiding one's friendship from one's spouse is one of the main signs of an emotional affair. If a person constantly thinks about his partner even when in the presence of his spouse, if he is more concerned about the feelings of his partner than those of his spouse, if one cannot resist the temptation to meet or talk to one's partner - all these are emotional cheating signs.

A person who is having an emotional affair might feel his sexual attraction for his spouse diminishing. He or she gets jealous if they find their partners getting close to someone of the opposite sex. Fantasizing or dreaming about one's partner, becoming argumentative with one's spouse, trying to find faults in one's relationship with the spouse are some of the other emotional infidelity signs.

How to Get Over an Emotional Affair?

Having an emotional affair can be detrimental to any relationship. That's why, if one is in love with his or her spouse, as soon as they understand it and that they are involved in one, they should start taking steps for ending it.

The first thing is to try to analyze and find out what were the reasons behind having such as affair. Most of the time, a person who is having some relationship issues with one's spouse or if there is communication gap between a couple, are much more likely to fill the void by having an emotional affair. Once the reasons have been determined, talking to one's partner, trying to sort out whatever relationship problems one is having, spending time together and trying to bring back love and romance into the relationship are some of the things that can be done to overcome emotional cheating in a relationship.

If a person really works on his relationship with one's spouse, relationship can again get back to its firm grounding. However, the recovery can sometimes take some time. By remaining engaged in something or the other, admitting to oneself that it was indeed a mistake and should be corrected, a person can get over an emotional affair faster!