In a relationship, a lot of people would agree with me when I say that breaking up is the most difficult thing to do. Oftentimes, we delay the decision if only we could find a nicer way to do it so that we don’t hurt the other person.

But how about if you’re in the other person’s shoes? You love your partner and you think you’re in a great and productive relationship, then one day he suddenly breaks up with you. No matter what we do, breaking up is an ugly and difficult thing, especially when it comes when we least expected it.

Here are some signs to tell if your partner is no longer interested in you and is on the verge of breaking up with you. This maybe a bit difficult for some to read, especially if you still love the other person very much, but trust me, it would be much better if you knew it was coming. At least you could prepare for it emotionally and meet at a middle ground.

1. He’s suddenly very busy. One day he has all the time in the world for you and the next couple of weeks, he says that his schedule is very hectic and put off meeting with you. He may be taking the time to re-evaluate things and figuring out how to break it to you gently. If you’re the kind of couple who are used to meeting each other almost everyday and this suddenly happens, then it’s a sure sign that there’s something wrong. However, this doesn’t mean or assures that he’s going to break up with you immediately. Maybe he just needs the time to figure things out. Maybe you could even help him or change his mind by being extra understanding.

2. He’s suddenly very secretive and doesn’t tell you where he’s been or who he was talking with on the phone. Unless he’s planning on proposing to you, this could only mean one other thing: he’s already started making plans with other people in his life and he doesn’t want to include you anymore. This is very difficult to absorb, and sometimes we have a tendency to shrug off these nasty signs and still believe we could salvage the relationship.

3. You suddenly find yourself arguing or fighting over stupid little things. He may well be looking for something to blame you for about the breakup he’s about to propose. If you’re always fighting and everything is suddenly your fault, it’s a sure sign that he’s not happy with the relationship anymore and he’s venting it out with every little thing that he finds the littlest fault about.

4. He starts talking about how healthy breakups are for other people, and talks about it as if it’s something liberating. For instance if a friend of yours broke up with his or her partner, he says it’s ok and healthy for the both of them, and says other positive things about the breakup. He might be practicing his points on your own breakup soon.

If you see these signs in your relationship, most of the time, it’s correct. There’s nothing more powerful that woman’s intuition. Although this may not be applicable to some relationships, there is universality with all of the signs I’ve given. Human, for some reason, act the same without knowing it, and it’s easy enough to recognize what someone’s actions signify, especially if we’re not involved with that someone, because we’re seeing him as he is, and not our Prince Charming.

I don’t want to seem cynical and pessimistic, but if you already see the signs, stop pretending like nothing is wrong with your relationship. Instead, if you still want to save the relationship and if you believe it could still be saved, then have a talk with your partner and be open and understanding with each other. Breaking up is normal, only if it happens to other people and not us. But guess what, it does happen to everyone.