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10 Signs it’s Time to Move On

By Dr. Nikki Martinez | Published January 11, 2023 | 5 min read

Many areas of our lives cause us to wonder if it is time to move on and be the best version of ourselves.

It could be:

moving out of our parent’s house
changing to a job that is not “safe” but a challenge
leaving a relationship that has become unhealthy
doing what it takes to be a role model for your child

Whatever the main reason, or perhaps it is several reasons at once, there are signs that enough is enough, and it is time to move on in life.

Here are some signs that you have come to a crossroads in your life and that it is time to make a change!

If you need more inspiration to move on, we have a collection of quotes about letting go.

Be sure to check it out.

Also, check out this great book about moving on!

Signs it’s Time to Move On

1. Your trust is broken time and time again

Whether it is work, family, or your relationship, it is time to move on when your trust is broken repeatedly.

There are some situations and relationships where too much damage has been done, and there is no hope for trust to be rebuilt.

In these cases, it is time to move on.

2. The situation makes you feel bad about yourself

It can be a relationship that is emotionally abusive or a boss that is always putting you down.

If you are in a situation that constantly makes you feel worse about yourself, it is time to leave and find a situation where you are appreciated.

3. The situation has lowered your self-esteem

If you take a good hard look at the situation and realize that over time, the relationships with this place, or this person, have taken away your self-confidence.

Over time, you should realize that it is time to change your situation.

Be somewhere, or be with someone who builds you up instead of breaks you down.

4. When you think back, you cannot think of the last time you were genuinely happy

No relationship or job should make you feel depressed and unhappy.

If you are so unhappy that you cannot even remember the last time you were happy, it is time to make some changes.

You deserve to be happy and now is the time to move on.

5. The relationship is not 50:50

You realize you are the one that is always bending and sacrificing for the relationship.

That your partner is never the one to give at all.

If it is always their way and never a compromise that makes each of you happy, it is time to find a relationship where you are treated equally.

6. You do not feel you can openly express your opinion

Whether at work or in your relationship, if you feel silenced and are in a situation where your opinion either does not matter or is not allowed to be expressed, you need to move forward.

You should never feel that you do not have a voice and should never stay when you are not allowed to have one.

7. Promises are never followed through on

No matter how often your boss or partner makes you a promise to change or that your role will change, it never does.

They never follow through or keep their work.

There needs to come a point where enough is enough, and you recognize it is time to move on!

You admit to yourself that nothing will change unless you make them change.

Make that change by leaving and starting new.

8. People want you to change into someone that you are not

If they ask you to go against your values and beliefs, or if the person does not consider how much that matters to you, they do not respect you.

Be with someone, or be in a situation where you can proudly be who you are and aren’t asked to change what you believe to make them happen.

If someone is trying to rewrite who you are, it is time to move on!

9. When words never match actions

I used to see this a lot in substance abuse and used to give this advice.

After years of lying and inconsistencies, people wanted to be taken back and forgiven.

They must understand that people can only stick it out so long when their words do not match their actions.

If you are in a situation like this, there needs to come a point where you move on to a situation where someone is honest and true to you.

10. When the other person is too needy, it might be time to move on

We all have pasts.

We all have reasons we are the way we are, but there is a point where it can cross a line.

When someone is so needy that they do not trust you, alienate you from your friends and family, and need you to feel their every need, it becomes a situation that is not healthy for you.

You cannot be everything to everyone.

Get some time, space, and perspective while they work on themselves.