The beginning of a relationship is like a walk through clouds. You fall head over heels in love, feel the tingling of butterflies in your belly, and plan a beautiful future with a partner who, according to your feelings, is the right one. However, over time, it’s not as fairy tale as it was initially, and you start to think about what’s wrong with your relationship, and you’re not sure if your relationship is healthy.
People in an unhealthy relationship may often experience manipulation, lying, or disrespect, and they feel as if their partner is someone other than they used to be. It usually starts inconspicuously, however, it may get to the point where you stop trusting your partner, you don’t want to communicate with them, or, worse, you don’t feel good in their physical presence.
How do you know that you are in an unhealthy relationship? What are the rules for a healthy relationship? Read below!
Shake up the routine
A routine in a relationship can have very negative consequences. Try to plan various activities with your partner that will diversify your relationships, such as various trips, visits to theaters, museums, or even just a walk around the city. Think about what you would like to do with your partner, but you are not doing it, or how to break the stereotype in your everyday life.
If it’s you who always prepare dinner, ask your partner to try a new recipe with you. Not only will it be fun, but it will be something completely different that will level up the bonding in your relationship. You can also suggest watching a movie, trying partner yoga, giving your partner a massage, taking a bath together, going shopping and helping each other choose nice clothes, or buying sex toys that are sure to change the routine in your bedroom!
If your partner refuses to deviate from the routine or is not open to new ideas and joint activities, your relationship is definitely not healthy.
Communicate openly and honestly
Lack of communication or poor communication in a relationship is undoubtedly toxic. Without air, we can’t breathe; just like without communication, a relationship can never work well. Don’t be afraid to talk openly and honestly with your partner, whatever it is.
Open and honest communication helps the partners prevent conflicts, misunderstandings, and assumptions that do not bring anything good to the relationship. Relationships in which communication reigns have a longer perspective and are healthy.
Strengthen the intimacy
Intimacy and physical harmony in relationships are essential. We are creatures who, by nature, need the touch and closeness of another person. Relationships that lack any physical contact are an example of unhealthy relationships. If you feel that you are in such a relationship, talk to your partner about what they lack physically in the relationship, and don’t be afraid to talk openly about your desires and fantasies.
Mostly they are men who are afraid to talk openly about their fantasies because they are afraid that their partner will not accept them or that they will be ridiculed. Spend more time together and talk about everything that allures you or what you would like to try in the bedroom. Suppressed desires and fantasies do not make your relationship healthy.
Make room for personal space
Although the time spent together is crucial, each partner should have and allow their other half to have their own space to do activities they enjoy and meet their friends. Relationships in which one of the partners does not allow them to have their own space are not healthy, and most likely, there is someone who wants to have control over the other. It is a sign of an unhealthy and perhaps even one-sided relationship.
A person who has no personal space is like a pressure cooker. They may endure it for a while, but sooner or later, they will give up on such a relationship. Learn to balance time together and time apart, because both of the two bring a number of benefits to the relationship.
The importance of compliments
People often mistakenly think that compliments play the most important role in the phase when you are entering into a new relationship or when you just started seeing someone. Each of us longs for others to appreciate and compliment us here and there – and even more so when it comes to our partner. Don’t wait for special moments to compliment your partner! You can give compliments anytime and anywhere. Tell your partner how great they look, how well they cooked, or how well they did.
Our partners often act as a mirror and reflect our behavior. If you start complimenting your partner, they will, sooner or later, start doing it as well. Expressing appreciation or compliments evoke the positive feelings we subconsciously desire, and not only will it improve our day, but it will also increase self-confidence. Give, and it will be given to you.
Bottom line
Do the above points sound familiar to you? Being in an unhealthy relationship does not necessarily mean being on the edge of separation. Of course, if you’ve reached a stage where you know you don’t want to continue your relationship anymore, the decision is ultimately yours. However, realizing that your relationship is becoming unhealthy gives you a chance to intervene and make a positive change.
