Every person on the planet deserves to be loved and respected – that’s a fact. Although no one wants to be in a miserable relationship willingly, there are times when we end up with the wrong partner. When you’re in love, you see the world through rose-tinted glasses, and in the rush of emotion, it’s even harder for us to realize that our partner might not be the best for us. And sadly, most of us have had this particularly painful experience at least once in our lives. What is a Toxic Relationship? How do we recognize the signs and warning signs that it may be time to call it quits? We will explain all this to you in our article.
What is a Toxic Relationship?
The line between a healthy and unhealthy relationship is a very thin one, and sometimes it’s hard to spot the warning signs. Toxic relationships are not uncommon and according to a study, every third person in Germany has been in such a relationship. At 41%, women are even more likely to suffer from their partner’s toxic behavior. Before we continue, we would like to note something very important: never confuse “toxic” with “violent”. Violence and abuse are an extreme form of toxicity and should not be tolerated by anyone. If you or someone you know is caught up in such a relationship, always consult the appropriate professionals.
When we’re emotionally involved, we often can’t tell if our relationship is toxic to us. The more in love we are, the harder it becomes to see the big picture and spot the signs. While a healthy relationship makes you feel cared for, loved, respected, and safe, the opposite is true in toxic relationships. It all seems to be a cause for a huge fight, reluctance to spend time together and most of the time feeling unhappy and depressed. If all of this applies to you, then you should definitely pay attention and read on, because we will explain how to recognize a toxic relationship.
These are the signs of a toxic relationship
Have you ever thought, “Something’s wrong here”? If the relationship takes you more effort than it brings you happiness and contentment, then that is a sign that you are probably in a toxic relationship. Here are some of the most common red flags that indicate an unhealthy relationship.
Lack of support
A healthy partnership is based on the mutual desire to see the other successful and happy in all areas of life. A toxic relationship, on the other hand, often feels like a competition. One gets the impression that our needs and goals are irrelevant to the partner. We don’t feel supported and somehow we can never please our partner. No matter how hard you try, your partner constantly blames you and you start to doubt your own abilities. The reason for this is that toxic partners always want to have the upper hand and always want to be admired by others.
Extreme Jealousy
Everyone gets a little jealous at times, and there’s nothing wrong with that. When was the last time you went out alone or had a nice girls night out? Extreme and pathological jealousy knows no bounds and is a real illness. The skirt is too short, the cleavage is too low, etc. The feelings, compounded by the fear of losing a loved one, can cause the partner to become aggressive and dangerous. At this point, the safest decision would be to call it quits.
control and manipulation
Does your partner keep asking you where you are? Does he get upset if you don’t reply to his messages right away or don’t answer his phone? This is also a big sign by which you can spot a toxic relationship. The partner tries to control you all the time and doesn’t want you to meet other people, for example. In addition, toxic partners always tend to suppress reality in such a way that you no longer know if you are just imagining everything. Typical sayings are “You’re just imagining it”, “You’re talking absolute nonsense” etc.
It’s always your fault
Do you know that – no matter what happens, you somehow always feel that you are responsible for all problems. Even if he lies to you or cheats on you, he can still make you feel guilty. And then you start to think that you pushed him into it with your behavior. That must be a big warning sign of an incredibly toxic relationship! If he keeps twisting the facts and you’re always doubting yourself, then it’s time to leave.
You feel insecure
And we don’t mean physically—we’re talking about a feeling of emotional insecurity. Can you talk openly with your partner about your thoughts and feelings? Or are you always afraid of what and how you would say it and how he would react to it? In a healthy relationship, the partner always makes us feel better about our security. Unfortunately, in toxic relationships this is not the case and the partner tries to use our weaknesses against us.
You feel like you’ve lost yourself
Toxic people tend to manipulate their partner, trying to “mold” them to fit their own ideas. Do you often find yourself doing things you don’t like just to please your partner? Or just spend time with his friends even though you don’t get along with them that well? Never forget: you have the power. It’s up to you to recognize a toxic relationship and set boundaries. You can always say “no” and should never pretend to be a completely different person.