Relationships are hard but there’s no need to make them harder. Ahead are eight habits and beliefs that you should drop the next time you want to commit. It will be fewer headaches for both parties involved.
1. Keeping everything inside and saying everything is fine (when it clearly isn't!)
Airing all your grievances during the fight of the century with your significant other is how you end a relationship with a messy breakup. If you don’t like that he chews with his mouth open or you don’t like how she treats you around her friends, just tell them. Then it can be fixed sooner and you don’t have to go crazy and everyone can live happily ever after.
2. Making your partner cut off their friends
This is just toxic. Your partner is still their own person and can be friends with whoever they want. Most of those people were in your partner’s life way before you. If they have a friend you think is bad, tell them and have a mature conversation.
3. Trying to force your relationship to be like those in romantic comedies or Hallmark movies
They’re movies for a reason. Making bets on whether you can seduce someone (a la "Ten Things I Hate About You" and "How to Lose A Guy in Ten Days"), abandoning a fantastic job opportunity to pursue love, or falling in love in three days is just not real life no matter how bad we want it to be.
4. Going through their social media or phone
I have watched people log into their partner’s social media and go through all their DMs to make sure they weren’t cheating. I have also seen people flip out over their partner liking a photo posted by someone of the opposite sex. Please remember it's just social media and it probably doesn't mean anything. Everyone loves a good like.
5. Expecting them to read your mind
How are they supposed to know you didn’t want to see that movie or go to that particular restaurant if you don’t tell them? Expecting your partner to read your mind sets you up for disappointment and them for failure. If you want to go to McDonald's and get a 20 piece chicken nugget meal, TELL THEM!
6. Having to talk 24/7
Social media, texting, and Snapchat has given us the ability to constantly be in touch with anyone we want. However, space is still okay and doesn't mean they don't like you. Just because your partner doesn’t respond in 10 minutes or leaves you on open doesn’t mean they don’t like you. They might just be busy or tired.
7. Bringing up exes in every argument or conversation
Exes will inevitably come up because they were a big part of your life at one point. However, bringing up how shitty they were at every dinner gets awkward and indicates that you think about them all the time. Maybe you should have gotten over them first.
8. Getting jealous over everything
We all get jealous sometimes but toxic amounts of it shouldn’t be the norm. Jealousy can only drive both of you crazy and if you have a problem with your partner hanging out with a certain person, tell them. Also, they most likely are not cheating unless they’ve given you a real reason to believe they are.
