A toxic relationship takes away every form of happiness from you. If care is not taken, you’d start adapting to the toxic environment and think that is how things are meant to be. Never have I seen anyone elated in any form of a toxic relationship.
Oftentimes, there are warning signs of a toxic relationship written all over the place, but we fail to see it. We’re blinded by the “in love” phase and ignore all the early warning signs of a toxic relationship.
Ending toxic relationships doesn’t happen easily because those in it do not even know that they are in a toxic relationship. Other times, it’s going to take the intervention from family and friends before sanity would return. A healthy relationship can in a few minutes turn into a toxic relationship and leave one or both partners devastated.
1. You Feel Drained
I wanted to say this at the beginning of this article but for some reason, decided not to just yet. If your relationship drains the life out of you and feels like taking more, maybe, you just might be in a toxic relationship.
Other times, some toxic relationship signs may even manifest physically, in such cases, you feel tired most of the time. In worst cases, it can even make our bodies unhealthy.
It is important to pay close attention to these signs and to how our bodies are reacting as well. Health is wealth. Any relationship that threatens your health, isn’t worth being in.
2. They Are Always Blaming You For Their Problems
In life, problems are inevitable and part of being a responsible adult is to acknowledge that, it is my fault and not always my partner’s. Is your boyfriend skilled at blaming you for everything that goes wrong, but never accept that he had a hand in it?
Toxic boyfriend signs to look out for, and when you notice this, don’t be reluctant to quit.
On the other hand, if your girlfriend is always blaming someone else for why things are not moving smoothly, that can be a massive sign of toxic behavior.
Like I earlier stated, part of being in a healthy relationship means taking ownership of one’s feelings, working through them, and not pointing accusing fingers at your spouse.
3. You Feel Like You Do All The Work In Your Relationship
Let’s be honest with ourselves, in every successful relationship, there’s always division of labor. If your relationship is void of this, and you’re always left with most of the work to do, you just might be in an unhealthy relationship.
One great characteristic of a healthy relationship is that it is a partnership, where both of you are putting in the required effort, and showing up for each other when needed. If your partner seems to notice that there is a lot on your plate and refuses to help, the balance has just moved to become toxic.
Toxic relationship examples include when one partner puts in much effort and the other, makes no contributions, neither do they even show appreciation for your efforts. We can’t be always busy in every minute of daylight.
If you find yourself in a situation where you are constantly making excuses for your partner’s bad behavior all the time, it is time to rethink things. Sometimes, as individuals, we may have a tasking week and other things to work on, but if they make a habit of not showing up or supporting you always like I earlier stated, it might just be time to part ways.
Such people will leave you telling folks that your spouse is emotionally unavailable or unstable, or they lack empathy. Relationships are not meant to drain the life out of you.
4. They Disrespect You
A healthy relationship is one where there is respect for both partners. This entails acknowledging the fact that your partner is a person and not an object to be looked down on. Respect creates a healthy space that allows you both to be yourselves without the fear of being castigated by the other.
Signs of a toxic relationship would be one devoid of respect at all levels. If your girlfriend talks down on you in public or in private, then those are signs of a toxic relationship. If she is never your biggest fan but all she’s good at is dragging you in the mud, then you might want to look for how to fix a toxic relationship. But in most cases, it is unsuccessful.
5. They Are Excessively Jealous
Everyone has a bit of jealousy, but it can graduate into being excessive. There are many toxic girlfriend signs to watch out for, but this is the deadliest of them all. Other times, in worst cases, it has led to death. This simply means that an excessive amount is a warning sign which must not be ignored.
What makes up a healthy relationship? Trust! Jealous on the other hand signifies the absence of it. In such cases, your partner will demand to know who you are around most of the time, and they will never be comfortable with you hanging out with the opposite sex.
6. Stonewalling
Communication is key, and we have heard that countless times. It doesn’t seem to ring in our heads when we are angry, does it? Proper dialogue has helped bring back peace when war was knocking on the door.
Being open to discussing crucial matters is as important as anything. This should not be a reason to argue or flee. It is not about who is right or wrong, neither is it an avenue for stonewalling if you feel they did you wrong the last time.
If your partner stops listening to you and says they want to avoid talking about the issue or even acts in an irresponsible manner, or leaves the scene when you want to discuss things that are of importance, that’s a toxic trait right there. Truth is, healthy couples are open to each other’s feedback.
7. Imbalance Of Power
As equal beings, there should be an equal balance. That is what a healthy relationship is all about. Although, every relationship differs, but try asking yourself who has more power in your relationship. If you’re not too clear about your answer, maybe this should help you.
A relationship is a union between two equal people. If your relationship thrives on an equal balance, then you both have nothing to worry about. In an unbalanced atmosphere, one partner will set the rules and demand that the other strictly follow them without breaking those rules.
Other times, if you find yourself asking for permission before doing certain things like hanging out with friends or even family members, you just might be in a very toxic relationship.
8. They Strip You Of Your Self-Esteem
Nobody deserves to go through such an inhumane act, but many people are still in such cases today. One good trait of a healthy relationship is the fact that both of you help build each other up. I mean, that’s the joy of being in love, isn’t it?
If you feel that your partner is tearing you down at every chance they get, and they laugh about it over cups of coffee, that is a sign you’re in an unhealthy relationship.
They seem to be happy when they make derogatory remarks about you, and they never apologize about their actions. This way, they feel they have more power over you, and they enjoy that power.
9. Physical Abuse
Oftentimes, in most reported cases of unhealthy relationships, victims complain of physical abuse. You shouldn’t have to wait for it to get to this stage before you quit. No relationship is better than your well-being, and if it threatens it, remember that you are free to say goodbye at any time.
Any form of pain inflicted in a relationship is toxic and should not be condoned. Toxic relationships psychology may include the manipulative ability of your partner that always pressure you to forgive any form of physical abuse or shower you with excessive love after they have physically abused you. That is something to worry about.
10. You Feel Sudden Fear Whenever You See Them
Perfect love cast out fear but in your case, it doesn’t seem to be so. You are engulfed with intense fear, especially when you’re alone with them because you fear they might harm you and order you to be quiet. Strange, right?
Your lover should ensure you’re safe, not be the source of terror. Highly despicable! If your relationship is characterized by fear and agony, without thinking twice about it, let them go. If care is not taken, depression will be the friend of the victim.
11. They Don’t Bring Out The Best In You
The best version of us always comes when we are most confident in ourselves. However, if you’ve become the opposite of that, especially when you are around your significant other, you might want to sit back and look at things again.
If you were the confident type before you met them and instead of building on that, your walls are crumbling, chances are they are secretly tearing you down with their words. Other times, this is more subtle and hard to point out.
12. Your Partner Never Remembers Your Schedule.
No one expects your partner to remember everything, but they should remember the important things in your life and at least, be supportive all through. We are all humans, and we all have our personal lives to live, but if your partner never remembers your big days, that is a sign you might not be as important as you thought you were. It is a toxic trait to look out for.
13. They Are Never There When You Need Them
One good turn deserves another and that’s very fair. What then happens on rainy days when you need their comforting hug and encouraging words but get none? Devastating! Their words never seem to match up to their actions, and they have made it a habit. Before they get you used to this, run away while you still can.
14. Dishonesty
This may sound trivial, but it is one horrible sign of being in a toxic relationship. In this case, your partner never sees the need to be truthful at any given time. Other times, dishonest partners cheat on their spouses and because they want to keep their evil deeds secret, they lie often.
What even gets annoying is the fact that, for issues that need the truth, because their DNA has been intertwined with lying, they still lie. Any relationship that has this trait is toxic and should be avoided.
Even when you find out the truth and try to correct them, they still won’t see anything wrong with their actions. There are many toxic relationship quotes about such people. “You can’t change someone who doesn’t see an issue in his actions.” That’s my favorite one.
Conclusion
On an ending note, the longer you stay in a toxic relationship, the harder it can be to remove yourself from it. We end up making excuses for them, or we tell our friends and relatives that they’ll change. That’s the greatest lie ever.
Walk out while you still can and start a new and healthy with someone who deserves you.
Relationships are loving, and they don’t have to be this way. If you’re in a toxic relationship, in most cases, the toxic partner never changes at all.
For your peace and safety, try your best to leave that relationship. That person may come up to you and try to get you tied down, telling you how they are working on themselves and all that. If you feel you want to take that step with them, it’s your choice, but if you feel you’ve had enough, kiss them goodbye.
If there is anything to avoid at all cost, it is to stop playing in their reality. Furthermore, pay attention to how they make you feel and try talking to them about their behavior. Lastly, always put yourself first.
For more interesting content visit us at www.relationshipandlife.com and you can also check out our Instagram page. Love is beautiful and so is life. I hope this was helpful, and many thanks for reading.
Take part in our toxic relationship quiz
Toxic relationship quiz
Is your spouse very supportive of the things that you do?
Yes.
No.
Does your partner lie about their whereabouts often?
Yes.
No.
Does your partner like to listen to you when you have something on your mind?
Yes.
No.
Does your partner understand that you have your own life to live?
Yes.
No.
Does your partner text or call you often?
A. Yes
B. No
Should I end my relationship quiz?
Does your partner make fun of you regularly?
Yes
No
Has your spouse ever hit you?
Yes
No
Does your spouse make you feel happy most of the time?
Yes
No
Is your partner unfaithful to you?
Yes
No
Do you find yourself looking for reasons to avoid going home to your spouse after work?
Yes
No
