That’s a tough spot to be in.

This didn’t just suddenly come out of nowhere.

Your partner has been thinking about breaking up or taking a break for some time.

Surely, you must have sensed or felt something.

A rift of some kind.

An unwillingness to hang out as much lately or a decline in the amount of affection you were receiving.

There is a root cause for why your partner feels the need to take a break and get away.

It’s unlikely the issue gets fixed while they are absent.

Indeed, the choice to get away is often for more selfish reasons.

They just want to break free and breathe the air without having the weight of their relationship with you constantly on their mind.

They just want to be able to hang out with other people without feeling a constant stab of guilt that they are ignoring your texts and phone calls as you try to get a hold of them.

This type of request is often a test for them to see what the world is like without you in it.

They tell themselves that it is only going to be temporary but the break could easily get extended as they enjoy the exhilaration of not having you constantly in their hair.

You need to talk to your partner about what is going on with them.

There is a root cause for their desire to take a break and get away.

What exactly does your partner need to figure out?

This is the time to have this conversation.

No, you shouldn’t wait until they are done with their break to have this conversation.

Again, your partner could love their newfound freedom so much that they keep extending the break until several months have gone by and you are still in confusion as to what is going on or whether you are both still in a relationship.

Clear the air now.

The damage could still be fixable.

It may not be too far gone.

Either way, best to find out now.

Have a conversation with your partner.

If they tell you that they aren’t in the mood, you need to put your foot down and let them know that it is important.

Then have a talk.

Your partner is upset or unhappy about something in the relationship.

They may have mentioned it in the past but nothing came of it.

It was never remedied.

Then again, they may have never mentioned it.

Regardless, now that it has all come down to the dreaded request for a break, you are both going to have to get to the bottom of it and find out what the problem is.

It could be something that is easily fixed by making an adjustment in behavior or just meeting each other halfway with something.

But, you won’t know unless you have a real sit-down conversation with your partner.

Again, you need to prioritize this conversation regardless of objections raised by your partner.

There will be no break.

You both need to talk about this now so that you can figure out whether this issue is even fixable.