Toxic relationships are way too much a sad story. Many times, relationships start healthy until unhealthy habits surface, which turns the whole thing sour.
In a toxic relationship, you might consistently feel drained or unhappy after spending time with your partner, according to relationship therapist Jor-El Caraballo, which can suggest that some things need to change.
Even if you still love your partner, the relationship may no longer be pleasant. You always seem
to irritate each other or can’t seem to stop bickering about trivial topics for some reason. You can even fear meeting them, rather than looking forward to it as you did previously. While these toxic signals may take years to emerge in some relationships, they are visible from the start in
others.
Knowing the warning signs of a toxic relationship can help you recognize when something isn’t
right, whether it can be healed, or whether it’s time to go.
Here are 5 signs you might be in a toxic relationship:
Lack of trust:
A partner is someone you can rely on, be vulnerable with, and have on your side. However, none
of these things are feasible in the absence of trust.
Toxic communication:
Do you ever notice yourself making nasty comments to your friends or family? When they’re in
another room, you may ridicule them by repeating what they said. You could even start avoiding
their calls just to avoid the usual disputes and anger.
Instead of compassion and mutual respect, the majority of your interactions are laced with
sarcasm or criticism and fuelled by disdain.
All take, no give:
If your relationship is continuously centered on what makes your spouse happy while ignoring
your needs, this might be an indication of toxicity.
You feel trapped:
If you feel like you can’t leave a relationship, then it’s most likely toxic, and you are trapped.
While leaving a relationship might cause you grief and heartache, the truth is it’s way better than
staying in a toxic relationship.
Physical or verbal abuse. Or both:
A toxic relationship contaminates your self-esteem, your happiness and the way you see yourself
and the world. Abuse of any kind is a no-no in a relationship. They are deal-breakers.
If your purpose for continuing in a relationship isn’t love for the other person, but rather fear of
or disinterest in being single, it’s time to end the relationship.
It’s important to make sacrifices in relationships, but your happiness, self-esteem and self-respect
should always be on the list – always.
You have everything you need to be happy. When you’re with someone who suffocates those
valuable aspects of you, be aware of the harm they’re causing. You owe nothing to others, but
everything to yourself. You have earned the right to prosper, to feel protected, and to be happy.
Relationships are beautiful; when they’re healthy.
