Everyone thinks they are Dr. Phil these days. You cannot listen to the radio, watch television, or even talk to your best friend or mother without hearing conflicting relationship advice. Most people are not experts and admit to that, but there are far too many professionals splashing their opinions in print and across the airwaves.

Some relationship advice is sound, and you probably know who those reliable people are in your personal life. Yet, much of what you hear is confusing because what one expert says conflicts with what another says. Some of the best advice is difficult to accept as well, so you may find yourself finding fault with it.

This may be why so many people are now looking for advice online these days. They are trying to determine the best ways to think about their current relationship problems, or they may be trying to find a way out of believing something that is difficult to accept.

Deep down, most people know what they need to do to make their life better and their relationships stronger. Oftentimes, it is just too difficult to follow through and actually do it. So, people keep searching for advice that might present an easier alternative.

Knowing When to Walk

One of the most difficult things to accept is that a relationship cannot be fixed, or perhaps is not worth the time and effort trying to fix. So many people remain in relationships that make them unhappy, simply because they do not want to accept that it is time to walk away. Nothing they try fixes the relationship, yet they continue trying. It is emotionally exhausting.

If you are in this situation, you have to determine whether the relationship is worth fighting for and can potentially be fixed. This means answering two questions with complete honesty:

1. What are the real problems in the relationship?

2. Are you and your partner both willing to work to overcome those problems?

Many problems can be worked out if both you and your partner are willing to accept the real issues and put in the time and effort to make changes. Then there are problems that are simply deal breakers, since the amount of time and effort to fix the problem is too extreme.

For example, physical or mental abuse is usually deal breaking problem. It will take tons of time and effort for the abuser to fix the problem, and in many cases they do not even recognize they are the problem. It is better to walk away from those relationships.

If you believe the real problems in the relationship can be overcome, it is time to determine whether they are worth the effort. First ask yourself whether you are willing to put in the time and make serious changes. Next, question how willing your partner may be to work on the problems. It may be time to walk away from this relationship if they are resistant or do not care enough to try.

This is one of those things that many people have difficulty accepting. Making the decision to walk away from a relationship is difficult, even if you know in your heart that it is time. You may know that your partner is never going to change or is unwilling to work on the issues, yet you have trouble saying good-bye.

In most cases, it is fear that traps people in relationships going nowhere. Sometimes it is a fear of being alone or a fear of taking the next step in life. In other cases it can be a fear of how the other person will react, or how the other person will survive without the relationship. Long term relationships are incredibly difficult to end.

You can spend all of your time looking for relationship advice that will fix the problem so you do not have to leave, but it isn’t going to happen. If it is time to walk away, then no advice is going to change that. You know better than the experts, so listen to yourself.