How to Tell if My Partner Is Toxic

Relationships are supposed to make you feel a wide range of positive emotions. While no pairing is perfect, a good relationship is one of open communication and confidence.

The term "toxic relationship" is one that people use to describe unions that negatively impact the mental health of one or both parties. Instead of bringing you joy and security, your pairing could be causing you trauma that takes years to overcome. So how do you know if your partner is toxic?

A Lack of Joy

The biggest red flag is how your partner makes you feel. Relationships can start in a good place. But once they devolve into a constant source of misery, anger and anxiety, you're looking at a toxic pairing. Your partner should make you feel loved, appreciated and accepted. If you're feeling more negative emotions than joy, there could be a problem.

Jealousy

Constant jealousy in your partner is not healthy. Both people should feel secure in the relationship. But things can get bad quickly when one constantly battles jealousy, especially when there's no reason to.

Jealous behaviors could result in controlling tendencies. For example, your partner may start forcing you to dress a specific way, prevent you from seeing certain people, etc. A jealousy counselor can help individuals overcome those tendencies, but it's important to address the issue for everyone's mental health.

Low Self-Esteem

Another telltale sign of toxicity in the relationship is low self-esteem. Partners can behave in ways that cause your self-worth to plummet. They might criticize everything you do, fail to show how much they care about you or put you down in front of others.

If you have low self-esteem caused by your partner, it's time to see a jealousy counselor or couples therapist.

Changes in Mental Health

Finally, noticeable changes in your mental state could point to toxicity from your partner. Depression, anxiety and other issues can arise at any point, even when you're in a healthy relationship. The main differentiator is the source of those problems. When a partner is the one causing mental pain and shifts in your personality, it may be time to reconsider your relationship.

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