Every relationship has it’s challenges, but there’s a slippery slope between being challenging and being downright unhealthy. While nobody is perfect, the person you date should build you up, make you laugh and overall make your life a happier place. Unfortunately, when that doesn’t happen, it’s easy to internalize your unhappiness with the relationship and try to hide it…but those feelings have got to come out somehow, and this can result in quite the negative impact on your health. Here are four warning signs that your relationship is bad for your health.
1. You are stressed out and anxious all the time.
Your relationship should make your life happier, not make it harder on a daily basis. If you’re constantly fighting with each other, or are dealing with intense trust issues that make it difficult to relax and feel secure in your relationship, stress can really start to take it’s toll. Maybe you aren’t sleeping well or eating right, or can’t focus at work-all of these are signs that your relationship stress is creeping into other aspects of your life with a negative impact.
2. You engage in questionable behaviors.
This is a judgement free zone and the “questionable behaviors” in question will be different for everyone reading this. Basically, we all have our limits and things that we are uncomfortable with, and you might not always be on the same page as your partner. Maybe you don’t like drinking alcohol during the week, while your boyfriend or girlfriend frequents happy hours every night after work, so you tag along in hopes of spending more time together, and wake up with a hangover Monday-Friday. If you find yourself routinely ignoring your personal boundaries and engaging in unhealthy behaviors just to keep up with your partner, it might be time to consider why?
3. You bitch about your significant other.
Commiserating with your close friends about the difficulties of dating and being in a relationship is totally normal-just last night I sent my bff quite the text message regarding my guy’s lack of ability to put a single dish in the sink, ever. It’s normal, and is a good way to get insignificant things of your chest. However, if you are constantly complaining, whining, and tearing apart your significant other and your relationship to anyone who will listen, it’s probably because you’re dreadfully unhappy…and it shows. If you have more negative things to say about your partner than positive ones, it’s a huge sign that something needs to change. Dating someone who drags your energy down isn’t a good look…and your friends are probably sick of hearing about it, too!
4. You withdraw from friends and family.
Avoiding your inner circle in fear that they will be able to see how unhappy you are in your relationship is a warning sign that something needs to change. Pulling away from the people who love you the most can lead to isolation and depression and can take a serious toll on your mental health. When going through a relationship challenge, you need your support system more than ever. If the person you’re dating doesn’t support your close relationships with your friends and family, and doesn’t encourage you to spend time together, your romance might not be as healthy as you’d hoped.
