When is it best to break off a relationship? As soon as you know it’s not going to work out. You need to listen to your heart, your thoughts, and the Lord’s guidance. You need to trust yourself. Parts of the relationship may be positive, but are these strong enough to carry the rest of it? I’ve known some who know after the initial phone conversation, initial meeting, three months, or three years later.
Once you know, then the time you wait is wasted since it delays your recovery, and thus your development of a new relationship. You will waver back and forth and experience confusion. That’s normal.
There may be a relationship in which none of that occurs, and you know absolutely that this one is over and out! That, too, can be normal. Watch out for the immobilizing statements you may make that will keep you trapped. They include:
“I just hate hurting another person.”
“What will everyone think?
“What if they’re really angry with me? I can’t handle that.”
“I don’t know what to say or how to do it.”
“It’s just too difficult.”
Every time you make such a statement, you begin to believe it even more, and it becomes more difficult to take that necessary step.
You will discover at last that you were doing yourself more harm than good. It is better to hurt that person once than to be hurt forever. So once you discover that it isn't going to work no matter what, just get up and take that bold step immediately.
The best time?
It's when you're starting to question yourself if you need to stop, or is it still worth it, or do I/your SO is still feeling the same.
If you're happy and content with your relationship, you won't ever have to ask yourself if you have to end it or not.