The Mirror's Health , Lifestyle and Fashion

But as with most things in life, it's just not that simple.

Sometimes your significant other's sudden distance could be a side effect of things ramping up at work, says Spector.

They may not be great at juggling priorities, and since work can often seem like the more urgent demand (hello, they could get fired), they may dedicate more of their time and energy to the office.

Other times, though, your partner wants a little distance in order to gain some perspective on the relationship. (Deep breaths...)

If a relationship, especially a new or rebound one, is heating up faster (regular sleepovers, talking all day every day) than your partner anticipated, it makes sense for them to take a step back to decide whether the connection is worth pursuing.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean that they want to break up,” Spector assures.

They just need a breather to decide whether they’re actually truly ready to commit—since going all in with someone can be intense.

Perhaps they're worried that you're more invested in the relationship already than they are, or that you've already started slotting them into your future before you've gotten to know each other in a deep, 360-degree way.

(This can make someone feel like you're less interested in who they are as a person and more interested in having a partner right now.)

Or maybe you've recently been on the cusp of taking the next step—like meeting each other's families or moving in together—and they're not quite sure they're ready to do that with you.

It might sound awful—and feel crappy—but trust: You want them to take this time earlier rather than later.

No one deserves to be in a relationship with someone who isn't totally and 100-percent sure they want to be with them. (Remember that, always.)

Of course, people can still pull away even in long-term relationships.

For some, “distance is a way to deal with conflict,” Spector says.

Your partner might withdraw from you and the relationship after an argument, until you’ve both cooled off.

Waiting for the “storm to pass” is, of course, not the ideal way to deal with issues, but sometimes people need space to gain perspective.

If their pulling away helps them come back with a level of understanding and self-awareness that helps you both bounce back from disagreements, great.

If it's a way for them to avoid confronting issues head on—or worse, not acknowledging the parts of your relationship that are on truly shaky ground—you may need to have a conversation about healthier ways of handling conflict.

P.S. In case you were wondering, men can pull away just as often as women, Spector notes.

Since intimacy ebbs and flows, partners are continuously pulled closer together and farther apart regardless of gender identity.