If your relationship doesn't quite match up with the storyline of “The Notebook” or “The Titanic,” don't worry, it doesn't mean that you are in a bad one. However if the movie version of your relationship sounds a little like “Sleeping With the Enemy” or “He's Just Not That Into You” then you should be concerned. 

Relationships are a lot like flowers: some are seasonal, annual, and some last for years and years. We water them with honesty and trust, and we must be patient for them to grow. However, there's only so much water you can give to a wilting flower - whose stem is dried and droopy, and whose petals may have faded and fallen - until you realize that it's time to cut it off and allow a brand new bud to bloom. There's also the type of relationships that are more so like weeds; the ones that you should just rip right out of the ground from the roots. For some people, it's not easy to tell the difference between a flower and a weed, or a good relationship and a bad relationship. 

Our emotions and happiness are the most valuable things we own, and the decision to stay in a bad relationship in hopes that it will get better, is essentially putting them at risk. Unfortunately not all wilted flowers can be revived, no matter how much water and sunshine we give them. Every relationship is different, but there is a clear and distinct difference between a bad point in a relationship and a bad relationship as a whole. Bad points are once in a while moments of weakness, that both people feel comfortable understanding, forgiving, and moving on and forward from. While bad relationships are unhealthy, and force you to compromise your own happiness just to stay together.

Communication is the best way to understand whether or not you should be heading in the direction of making up or breaking up. The most obvious signs of a potentially bad relationship involve your standard chick-flick plots of lying, cheating, or falling out of love. These are just three of many signs that it's time for a change. 

If your boyfriend or girlfriend is either cheating or lying to you, and your first instinct isn't to break up with them or slash their tires (which you probably shouldn't do), then you need to let them know that it is not okay. This may sound completely crazy and far-fetched, but you could actually mention something along the lines of “Hey there significant other, believe it or not, I'm NOT okay with you hooking up with that other person that isn't me...” If it happens again, it's time to let them go. The same thing applies to losing interest in a relationship. People grow apart, and feelings change. It's a part of life. The answer is not to wait around in hopes that the flower will re-blossom again next spring.     

There are countless other signs of a bad relationship, but if you take away one thing from this article, I hope that it's not to slash anyone's tires, or a lesson on watering flowers. When dealing with relationships, speaking your mind is the only way you can decide if you should move forward from a bad point together or actually move forward with your lives apart.