The Swing That Broke Us: How FIFO Life Shattered My Marriage

Published on 26 May 2025 at 08:30

We didn’t fall apart in one big blow-up.
It was quiet.
Slow.
Like rust eating through steel.

FIFO didn’t cause our marriage to collapse—but it sure as hell helped drive the wedge deeper. And if you're living this life, you already know what I mean.

Let’s be real:

You’re exhausted, emotionally unavailable, and always “on the clock.”

She’s tired, raising the kids solo, carrying the mental load while you’re gone.
And somewhere in between rostered flights, patchy phone calls, and missed birthdays—connection turns into checking in.
Intimacy becomes routine.
Trust gets shaky.

🎯 The Stats Don’t Lie:

  • FIFO couples are up to 3x more likely to separate than non-FIFO families.

  • Long-distance parenting, irregular intimacy, and chronic fatigue lead to communication breakdown and emotional disconnection.

  • Add stress, money pressure, and mental health issues like depression or drinking to cope—and the mix becomes volatile.

Here’s What No One Tells You:

You can love your partner and still lose them to this lifestyle.
You can be “doing it for the family” while slowly drifting away from the family.
Sacrificing time now doesn’t mean you get it back later.

🚨 Signs Your FIFO Life Is Hurting Your Relationship:

  • You're fighting more right before or right after swing.

  • Sex life’s gone stale, or nonexistent.

  • She’s stopped telling you things. You’ve stopped asking.

  • Everything feels “transactional.”

  • The kids feel closer to her. You feel like a visitor in your own home.

🛠 Here’s What You Can Do Before It’s Too Late:

  1. Get brutally honest – Stop pretending “it’s just a rough patch.”

  2. Regular check-ins – Not just about chores. About feelings (yes, that word).

  3. Couples counselling – FIFO-specific if you can. It’s not weak; it’s survival.

  4. Protect your time off – No extra shifts, no distractions. Be present.

  5. Drop the ego – Apologise. Listen. Learn. Grow.

Don’t let FIFO take what matters most.
Your job might build a life—but if it’s tearing your family apart, what are you really building?

You’re not alone. Many of us have f*cked it up before figuring it out.

💬 Talk to the boys. Talk to your missus. Or talk to someone who gets it.
Because silence? That’s what actually breaks you.

👉 Visit YourPrevious24.com to start repairing what the job’s been slowly breaking.

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