Things you should never tolerate in a relationship include not being cared about. After all, if that's the case, then what's the point of the relationship? Essentially, insults or hurtful comments about you, your job, goals, family, or anything else just don't come from a caring and loving partner.
Contempt: Expressing a lack of respect for our partners (e.g., name-calling, eye-rolling, ridiculing). Criticism: Attacking a partner's character. Defensiveness: Protecting from criticism by using excuses or shifting blame. Stonewalling: Withdrawing from communication by ignoring, zoning out or acting busy.
Overly controlling behavior is a common red flag in relationships. People that try to control your movements, decisions, or beliefs are more concerned about what they want than what is best for you. If a guy or girl tries to control what you wear or where you go, this could be a red flag.
Remember that a toxic relationship is one where love is prioritized over everything else, including respect, trust, and affection for each other. It's more than just a “rough patch”—it's a recurring, long-term pattern of bad behavior on one or both sides.
While each situation is different, there are a variety of reasons why relationships don't go the distance. The main reasons why relationships fail are loss of trust, poor communication, lack of respect, a difference in priorities, and little intimacy.
Aside from all-out abusive behavior, blaming and shaming may be the fastest way to kill your connection. Both behaviors communicate contempt for your partner, displaying that you view him or her as beneath you or deserving of scorn.
So dangerous to a healthy, loving relationship are criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling.
"Half-your-age-plus-seven" rule
An often-asserted rule of thumb to determine whether an age difference is socially acceptable holds that a person should never date someone whose age is less than half their own plus seven years.
Foster honesty and trust in your relationship by admitting when you are wrong, and by holding your partner to the same standards that you hold yourself to. Finally, in order to avoid miscommunication, be open about your feelings, and ask questions when you don't fully understand your partner's words and actions.
Treat him with love and care
You have probably told your man you love him, but he needs to see you in action. Everything you do around him should be to reassure him of your love. Be loving, caring, faithful, and kind to him. Don't ever give him reasons to doubt your love.
Supporting your girl when she needs it, appreciating her, being loyal to her, and loving her with all your heart are some of the many ways to keep a girl interested in you.
The Decision Phase is arguably the hardest phase.
Keep in mind that you don't need to think about marrying the person in order to enter this phase. But after two years or so together, the initial magic starts to fade and the only way to make a relationship work is by putting in the effort to make it work.
The biggest thing couples do to kill intimacy in marriage is failing to schedule time for it. Sometimes couples don't recognize the need to build space for intimate moments in their lives. There seems to be an expectation that romance and desire should happen naturally.
The most common reasons people break up usually involve a lack of emotional intimacy, sexual incompatibility, differences in life goals, and poor communication and conflict resolution skills. There are no wrong or good reasons to break up. However, some things in a relationship are just outrightly unacceptable.
Communication Issues
Numerous studies have identified communication (or a lack thereof) as one of the top reasons for couples seek therapy, as well as one of the top reasons for break-ups and divorces. The single, best predictor of divorce is when one or both partners show contempt in the relationship.
You have a toxic girlfriend when she picks fights more than she expresses affection. It's when she bursts out in anger on the most trivial issues. She becomes irrationally jealous of any girl that you talk to. You have had an experience where she would even get jealous of your friends and workmates.
There's no emotional connection
One of the key signs that your relationship is over is that the spark has gone. A foundation of a healthy relationship is that both partners feel comfortable being truly open with each other in sharing thoughts and opinions.
A toxic person is someone who regularly displays actions and behaviors that hurt others or otherwise negatively impact the lives of the people around them, and they're usually the main instigating factor of a toxic relationship.