Five toxic relationships to avoid!

Your eyes meet across a crowded room and in that instant you feel a certain connection to that person. Numbers, BB pins, and Facebook profiles are exchanged and thus a relationship begins and it feels every bit as good as the movies. You’re happy the relationship is going well and you overlook certain traits they might have.

You can forgive the dirty underwear on the floor or the incessant burping, but sometimes there are things that you shouldn’t tolerate at all in a relationship. Commitment and respect are the foundations of good relationships—both are things you should expect from your partner and vice-versa. If you’re not receiving one or the other, you’re damaging your self-respect and lowering your self-worth. Lack of both of these qualities in a relationship is toxic, but what are toxic relationships?

Toxic relationships are classed as unhealthy, degrading, and just plain old miserable. Such relationships involve not talking about your feelings for fear of upsetting your partner because of some “special” power they hold over you or hoping the person you’re with will change for the better when you get married.I’ve put together five types of toxic relationships out there to watch out for, so read on: The relationships mentioned in this article are destructive and should be avoided at all costs.

1.  The You’re-Not-Good-Enough relationship
Your partner puts you down at every available opportunity. In this toxic relationship, you’ll hear such phrases as “you don’t have the figure to wear that outfit” or “do you think you’re good enough to apply for that job.” If your partner is guilty of doing this or something similar, then you really need to re-think or leave. If you’re not good enough for anything, why is your partner with you in the first place?

2. The Can’t-Make-Time relationship
You see your partner once in 2 weeks or once a month, which is fine if its long distance, but then you don’t even hear from your partner at all? We have telephones and mobiles, tablets, and various social media and your partner still can’t make time to get in touch? If President Obama can do date night with Michelle every week, what’s your partner’s excuse?

3. The I’m-Better-Than-You relationship
Your partner thinks you should be utterly grateful for being in a relationship with them or your partner is always trying to compete with you in a competition only known to them. Either way, this relationship is toxic at best. No one should feel small or inadequate in their relationship; they’re supposed to bring the best out of you, not the worst.

4. The Cheating relationship
This relationship is one of the most toxic relationships out there. If they are guilty of infidelity, then you have to leave, unless both of you agreed to date other people, then a relationship like this is damaging to your confidence and general well-being. But if your partner is cheating and you want them back, then by all means, try and work through your issues and hope for the best; but a word of caution if you know you can never trust this person again, then please leave! Successful relationships are built on a foundation of trust, lose that and your relationship is then termed as TOXIC!

5. The Violent relationship
Your relationship shouldn’t be a version of an amateur wrestling match. A violent relationship isn’t just toxic but highly unsafe, there is only one place that physical relationships end up in and that’s in the hospital. The solution to this is to confide in someone you trust and seek safety! Your partner should love you, not harm you! If that’s their version of love, then they have a pretty warped view of relationships.

What other type of toxic relationships are out there? Let us know. 
Written by guest blogger Charlene Odetola