When you’re in a long term committed relationship with someone, nothing can pull the rug out from under you like the betrayal of a loved one by being cheated on.

While none of these things I’m about to share with you guarantees that your partner is cheating, they might be a warning sign that your relationship is not in a great spot.

1. Has your partner suddenly started to take more care with their appearance? Are they more concerned with how they look and what they wear? Are they suddenly interested in getting in better shape? Again, none of these things means that your partner is cheating or interested in cheating, but these changes coupled with other changes could be a warning sign of a problem.

2. Is your partner suddenly more concerned about privacy when they’re on the phone or computer? If they used to openly carry on conversations and they suddenly leave the room when they talk on the phone could be an indication that they are saying something they don’t want, you to hear.

3. Does your partner seem uninterested in sex all of a sudden. During any long-term relationship sexual appetites will vary and that is perfectly normal. Many times, stress will play a factor in a decreased interest in sex, so if your partner isn’t interested in sex don’t just accuse them of cheating, take everything into consideration such as financial stress, job stress, family stress, etc.

If, on the other hand, there isn’t anything out of the ordinary (or at least anything that you know about) and your partner still doesn’t seem interested in having sex with you, this could be a problem.

4. Is your partner suddenly a lot more attentive to you? Do they send you cards and buy you gifts or flowers for no apparent reason? If this isn’t their normal pattern of behaviour, it’s likely that they’re doing this because they have a guilty conscience or are they truly wanting to be a better partner?

5. Does your partner suddenly start using different words or phrases? Are they suddenly talking about other types of music or books that they’ve never shown an interest in before? If this happens ask them where they’ve heard of these new things. If they’ve picked them up innocently from a friend, they’ll tell you. If, on the other hand, they say they’ve just heard it ‘somewhere’ or give you some other vague answer you are probably smart to be a little suspicious.

I hope you are never in a situation where you see most of these things happening in your relationship.

Again, I want to stress that these 5 things do not mean your partner is cheating on you, but it does suggest your relationship could do with a tune up.