Romantic relationships are one of the most important relationships a person has in his/her lives. The reason these relationships are so important is the dynamic of codependency it creates. This codependency is not limited to the dynamic, it impacts individual personalities and emotional well-being too.
The intensity of the impact of romantic relationships can be understood from the concept which was given by John Bowlby in his theory of attachment.
According to this theory, people bond with their romantic partners in the same manner and this bond has the same intensity as their bond with their own mothers. Such is the power of romantic relationships and their influence on the human mind. A romantic relationship turning toxic is thus comparable with an abusive parent-damaging and permanent.
In this article, we are listing down a few signs of a toxic relationship and how they can be addressed.
- You do not feel good
One of the main signs of a toxic relationship is the feeling of worthlessness it brings with itself. People in toxic relationships generally have low self-esteem and tend to underrate themselves. The toxic partner traps them in this cage, where they tend to make them feel worse about themselves. As a result, the person with low-self-esteem can become depressed and a feeling of sadness prevails over them.
If you have been feeling low and not good about yourself, pay close attention to how your partner has been treating you. To make up for the damage, the first thing you need to do is to put your foot down and resist toxic behavior patterns. If you have been in this relationship, the help of a professional psychologist might also be required.
- You bear the burdens
Another sign of a toxic relationship is inequality, when it comes to bearing the burdens of the daily life. If you are the one who is doing all the financial or all the emotional work in the relationship, you are dealing with a toxic partner. Such relationships fall into the traps of resentment and are no good for the mental health of any of the partners. If you are in such a scenario, you need to establish clear boundaries, especially when it comes to finances as that can bring immense stress in your life.
- There is just no effort
Romantic relationships require continuous effort and they need fuel to run. Each partner needs to consider it as a long-term commitment and no partner should take the other one for granted. It is thus important that each partner makes an effort to be as compassionate and kind towards the other as he/she can.
If you are in a relationship where you think you are the one who is making all the effort and your partner is taking it for granted continuously, you need to communicate it to your partner right away. There are times when you need to consult a psychologist and get a couple counselling from expert.
This article is written for the general audience and does not take into account pathological toxicities such as domestic violence into account. If you are in one of those relationships, there is no time to waste, you need to get professional psychological and legal help as soon as possible.