Quite literally, relationship jet lag can feel as though you and your partner are ‘travelling’ in different time zones, trying to catch up to one another, and this leaves the relationship feeling off, explains Maria Sullivan, vice president of Dating.com. “It can be identified by feelings of distance, emotional fatigue and simply feeling out of sync with your partner.”

According to dating coach Deb Morgan, it often occurs after a period of personal growth, such as a promotion or commitment to a goal, which causes misalignment with the other person. “Maybe you have different hobbies and interests that mean you spend a lot of free time apart,” she suggests, “or you’re spending more time away from home due to work. It can make you feel like you’re growing away from your partner or being pulled in opposite directions.”

But as dating expert Liam Barnett suggests, it can also look like struggling to find a middle ground with your partner. This could be due to a lack of interest in or understanding of what the other has to say, which can be incredibly frustrating to deal with.

“A highly important topic to one partner might seem superficial or irrelevant to the other partner, and this often creates a sense of disconnect between the partners,” he tells Stylist. What this leads to is a sense of disconnection being expressed emotionally within the relationship. The lack of open communication and pinch of resentment, coupled with either time apart or mental distance, is what creates the ‘lag’.

Relationship jet lag explained: what it means and what you can do about it