Even if every relationship has its ups and downs, it is a sign of an unhealthy relationship when a partner or close family member exhibits disrespectful, domineering, or even aggressive behavior. Recognizing the symptoms of unhealthy behaviors is crucial since an unhealthy relationship may be or even cause domestic abuse.
Here are a few warning signals to watch out for that might indicate whether you are in a toxic or abusive relationship. An ex-partner, a current partner, or a different family member might be the subject of the relationship.
Trust Issue
Lack of trust is a common characteristic of unhealthy relationships. Either you or your partner may frequently feel as though the other is concealing information from you.
Your overall attachment type may influence how trustworthy you and your spouse are. These behavioral patterns are frequently formed throughout infancy based on interactions and experiences with caregivers, but they also influence how you behave in romantic relationships as an adult.
It could be challenging for you to trust your love partners if you have a history of being unable to depend on the people you should be able to trust the most.
Being abusive
Abusive is not only when you’re getting hit or physically hurt, you can also be:
- Sexual abuse: being forced to do anything sexual, from kissing to having sex.
- Verbal abuse: can be like name-calling, put-downs, and using words to hurt you
- Threats and intimidation: is that they will manage a relationship via violence or abuse threats. Physical violence, suicide, or threatening children will be used to make sure they’re the ones who control the relationship.
- Emotional abuse: is when your partner makes an effort to lower your self-esteem. It might entail intentionally hurting your feelings, envy, holding you accountable for the abuse, cheating, or persistently criticizing you.Â
Among all the above, your self-esteem can be affected strongly by emotional maltreatment.
Feeling disrespect
Disrespect can manifest itself in a number of ways in unhealthy relationships. That can occasionally translate into someone dismissing the other person. In other instances, it could entail openly mocking the beliefs or pursuits of the other person.
As this contempt frequently resembles rejection, it can cause a variety of negative emotions, such as wounded sentiments, remorse, humiliation, loneliness, embarrassment, and social anxiety.
Lack of communication
A healthy relationship is built on open communication. Communication behaviors that are unproductive are frequently indicative of unhealthy partnerships. This might be avoiding unpleasant topics, pretending that the other person can read minds, failing to listen, becoming defensive, or stonewalling in order to avoid dealing with relationship issues.
Couples who fail to develop conscious communication skills will struggle with intimacy, conflict, and relationship development. True connection depends on being able to grasp your partner’s inner world and having them do the same for you. If you have trouble communicating in a way that strengthens your bond, you’ll notice that your relationship will get worse.
Being over control:
A controlling partner could make you feel uneasy and undermine your self-worth, putting you down in front of others and/or in private. For example, they could critique the way you dress or how you spend your time, exaggerate your ‘flaws’, or make fun of you in front of others but pass it off as ‘just a joke’.
Some of them may go beyond simply attempting to distance you from your friends and family; they also make an effort to have you doubt your perception of reality. The term “gaslighting” refers to this widespread emotional abuse and manipulation method. They could quickly assume the victim’s position and put the responsibility for everything that goes wrong, including things that have nothing to do with you, on you. They distort reality to cause you to doubt your instincts, recollections, and feelings.