Relationships are fun and help a lot of people grow, but they shouldn't make us feel helpless and insecure. Trust me, I am the biggest advocate for love but not when I see my friends suffering. You don't need to be in a relationship to know the signs. Be aware. Help your friends. Help yourself.

1. They invalidate your feelings.

They say that you're too emotional or that you need to stop being a crybaby. My friend once told me that his girlfriend wished that he didn't have so many feelings. You are allowed to feel and be as you are.

2. They are never to blame.

They rather blame it on the fact that you're a Gemini with a Scorpio moon than admit that they lost their house key.

3. They are always right.

It feels like you two can never have a fun or light conversation because of their constant need to be right. So any comment that shows the slightest defiance is wrong, will always be wrong and will be mentioned in every argument for the rest of your relationship.

4. They lie.

Do they lie to your face no matter what evidence you have again them? Do they lie to others for no reason at all? A relationship is built off of trust, so how can you trust a liar?

5. Makes you feel like you were nothing before them.

Do they constantly remind you of the 'state' you were in when you two met? It sounds as if you were a helpless puppy rescued from an abusive shelter. You were extraordinary before you met them, and you'll be extraordinary after them.

6. Claim that they're the reason for your success.

They act more like prideful parents instead of a supportive partner. They say that they are the reason you went back to school. They're the reason you went out and got a job. It's as if you didn't have your own goals and ambitions before they came along

7. They threaten to break up with you in order to correct your behavior.

It seems as if everything you do is grounds for breaking up. If they wanted to break up with you they should've done it already. They're trying to make you insecure and obedient. You are not a dog or a baby – you shouldn't put up with that.

8. They criticize everything you do.

Everything you do is a problem: the way you dress, the fact that you chose peach yogurt over vanilla, they even hate the way you breathe.

9. They make you feel that there is no one better.

Don't ever let them tell you that they are doing the world a favor by being with you. You are a priceless gem and there are people in this world who'd do anything to cherish someone like you. You are not a charity case.

10. Isolation.

Any free time you have is time you should be spending with them. Not your friends, family, or classmates. They make you feel as though they are all you need. If you are not physically with them then they assume that you are out doing something they don't like or something much worse, like cheating.

11. Everything is about them.

This circles back to invalidating your feelings. Anything that you address always gets dismissed and is shifted to something about themselves. The sky is not blue because of them – don't let them convince you otherwise. They have a God complex and that is not a healthy person to be around.