10 Signs of a Toxic Relationship

When a relationship is going good it is easy to see the signs, but when a relationship is going bad, the signs may become difficult to identify. Below are 10 signs of a toxic relationship.

1. Chronic Anger

Chronic anger can come in different forms. Some of the ways in which this type of anger can show up are the other person becoming frequently irritable, getting annoyed at the smallest of issues – things that did not seem to bother them earlier in the relationship, now seem to make them blow up at you. And their moods begin to change unpredictably, to the point you began to walk around them timidly, nervously. This chronic anger is not due to sadness or depression by the other person but is in fact a means of control by your partner.

2. Chronic Sarcasm

Chronic sarcasm is a way for the other person to show their anger, under the guise of false humor. This sarcasm is intentionally meant to insult you and cause you pain.

3. Disparaging humor

This one is a lot similar to the sarcasm that they use (Sarcasm being witty humor, with a coldness behind it), Here the person begins to put you, your schoolwork, and job work down, but with a fake smile on their face, and in a joking tone.

4. Having a chastising mindset

Here, your partner begins to tell you that the negative things that are happening in your life are your fault. They start to Insist that the bad things that are occurring within your sphere, are all because of your own doing.

5. A controlling and dominating nature

An example of this would be your partner saying to you, “I don’t like it when you wear blue jeans, they make you look unattractive,” and then you go and wear blue jeans anyway, and your partner sees you out wearing blue jeans, and they get angry and say, “if you really liked me, you wouldn’t wear blue jeans, because I told you, that you look unattractive in blue jeans. So wearing those blue jeans means that you do not value me or my opinion, and you don’t really care about me at all,” and your response would be “Of course I value your opinion and care about you. I won’t wear blue jeans anymore. I apologize, I’m so sorry.” And your partner would reply with something like “Now going forward, when you’re getting dress every day, make sure you do not put something on that I said I didn’t like, that says you don’t appreciate me or invalidates me.”

6. Very high amounts of insecurity

With this excessive insecurity, your partner will like you to reassure them over and over again, to ease their feelings. They will also look for you to start agreeing with them on topics, and issues, that you feel in your heart and mind, that you should not. And if you do not then they will feel sad, and they will blame that sadness on you.

7. Extremely dogmatic

Here, as they are being dogmatic, this is someone who is actually disgusting themselves, and who is in actuality being very judgmental. With this type of judgment, also comes criticism.

8. The manipulator

The main way that this toxic sign shows up in an intimate relationship, is through placing guilt on to you. For example, they might say, “If you really loved me, you would take me on that vacation I said I wanted to go on.” Or, “If you really cared about me, you would buy that watch I said I wanted.”

9. Being self-centered

This is when your partner begins to ask for, request, and take more than they are offering and giving to you. Now they will still offer you things, but not before their request have been met.

10. Always being offensive

Here, your partner starts to feel like they have to take a preemptive stand against you, in every situation; whether serious or minor. They have this view that if they do not strike at you first, you will go and strike at them, and get the better of them.