This is NPR's Life Kit.

I'm Demona Hoffman, the host of the Dates and Mates podcast,

and for over 15 years as a dating coach,

I've helped singles write dating profiles,

create strategies for finding love,

and move into successful relationships.

But what happens when your relationship isn't going so well?

When you get that sinking feeling that you might have chosen wrong,

or you may have grown apart,

or you just can't take the arguments and frustrations anymore,

what do you do?

What are the signs that it's time to break up?

The person that I was in that relationship

was not necessarily who I felt like I was or who I could be.

During the pandemic time, then we were always home.

It was just like, after some time,

we were just sometimes arguing about something that was meaningless.

When he refused to pick me up from the airport,

I knew that something was off.

When you know it's time to end the relationship,

how do you find the right words?

How do you untangle the life you've lived together?

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