4 Alarming Signs Of An Unhealthy Relationship
The start of a relationship is beautiful, and everything seems to be straight out of a rom-com. Everything seems so perfect in the first few days that we often ignore the red flags. We convince ourselves that we are overthinking things, and this relationship would be perfect by all means.
While some couples manage to find a way to deal with the red flags, they make love take a back seat in a few relationships. And when that happens, the relationship is bound to fail. So, how would you know if your relationship is headed to doomsday? Are there any signs to watch out for? Yes, these tell-tale signs of an unhealthy relationship should help you evaluate if you should call it quits.
1. Controlling Personal Appearance
If your partner finds flaws with the way you dress, speak, and carry yourself around, that could be devastating. While it could seem like a minor thing to change for the relationship, you need to know when to call it a day as you cannot and should not let your partner hijack your identity and turn you into a puppet who dresses, walks, and talks the way they fancy you to be.
In short, you should not have to change yourself to be liked by someone. Yes, all the romcoms where the lead has to take off her glasses and change her appearance to be noticed by the protagonist is a sign of an unhealthy relationship and not that of a perfect one! Most people who have walked out of an abusive or unhealthy relationship tend to suffer from an identity crisis. They had to change so much about themselves to stay in the relationship. This could impact your mental health significantly.
2. Manipulation
Gaslighting and manipulations are the tell-tale signs that you need to end the relationship immediately. If your partner has you second-guessing your every emotion, word, and feeling, you could be a victim of manipulation. If your partner convinces you to do things that you are uncomfortable with to please them and their feelings are all that matters in the relationship, you need to find your way out.
While it is fine to do things that make your partner happy, that shouldn’t become the dynamic of your relationship. Your partner should not control you mentally and emotionally to get things done the way that benefits them. It is hard to see when you are being manipulated because your perpetrator makes sure you see and feel only what they want.
If you constantly doubt yourself, feel guilty for everything, and feel responsible for your partners’ insecurities, it could be because your partner is manipulating you. Besides holding you responsible for their emotions, they convince you to believe what they want you to believe.
3. Physical Harm
A World Health Organization research report found that one out of every three women has been abused physically or sexually by their partner. Physical abuse is not a gender-determining trait, as one in four men have also reported instances of physical violence by an intimate partner. Besides leaving an irreparable scar on the victim’s mind, it also takes a toll on their ability to love, trust, and be in a healthy relationship after they break up with their abuser.
If your partner threatens or humiliates you, if you are afraid of confronting them, or you cannot do things that your partner disagrees with, you could be a victim of abuse. Any small act of using words or physical strength against another person constitutes abuse and is punishable by law. If these seem similar to what you deal with in your relationship, it’s time you walk out!
4. Isolation
While partners need to spend time together, it shouldn’t come at the cost of breaking ties with your friends and family. If your partner insists that the two of you spend all the time alone, never interact with each other’s social circles, or family it could be a red flag.
Your partner is probably trying to isolate you not to have a support network to fall back on. Their emotional manipulation, jealousy, and possessiveness could impact your mental health severely and give your partner complete control over the relationship.
If you notice any or all of these signs in your relationship or that of your friends, watch out! It could be an unhealthy and abusive relationship sneaking in the name of love and affection. Seek help and try to break off all ties with the abuser at the earliest. The longer a person is in an abusive relationship, the harder it gets to overcome the trauma.
