Cheating is surely a big way to totally demolish a relationship, but there are a few other things that are much more destructive when it comes to ruining even the tightest of bonds.
Some of the ugliest things that can lead to a breakup (besides cheating) start out as small and indiscernible, and that’s exactly what makes them so dangerous.
1. Lying
The act of lying to a romantic partner is often the worst signal of a dying relationship. Lying is not something impulsive and uncontrollable – it is a habit which, in time, becomes part of who you are. Should you find your partner lying to you about little things, be wary. Ask him or her to elaborate on the reasons why they chose to lie to you.
2. Withholding affection
Whether to you, affection means pouring your heart out, asking intense questions about deeply meaningful things, or helping each other through difficult times, being unaffectionate can cause the kind of doubts in a relationship that in the end become unfixable.
3. Holding on to silent resentment
There is nothing more toxic than keeping unaddressed anger inside you. Holding on to silent resentment instead of sorting things out with your partner is like drinking poison.
What’s worse is that anger slowly rises inside you until one day you become incapable of keeping it bottled up. And that is when all hell breaks loose.
4. Lack of communication
This does not mean not messaging each other 24/7, but failing to talk about things that bother you when they arise or conveniently withholding details that you think could cause problems. All that negativity just gets bottled up, and when it is eventually revealed, it is usually unmanageable.
5. Manipulation
This one is complicated because it can be so subtle that you don’t realize you’re being manipulated by your partner (or you’re being the manipulator) until it’s way too late. Manipulation causes a person to gradually lose their self-esteem, which in itself is a crime against a romantic partner.
6. Staying in a relationship out of convenience
Whether it’s because you don’t want to disappoint your family with a failed relationship, or because cannot afford to pay the rent on your own, staying with your partner just because you feel you don’t have another choice will lead you to bitter resentment and a painful amount of fighting and heartache, when there was a chance for you to at least remain friends.
7. Sharing your secrets with someone else than your partner
Loving someone means you’re able and need to show them all your vulnerabilities that you wouldn’t dare show anyone else. You become emotionally dependant on each other and can always lean on each other. But when your partner chooses to share their secrets with another person, it means that their emotional needs are taken care of by that person and not by you. If you are not the first person they share their news with, they no longer have the same bond with you that they once had.
Do you think there are some toxic acts more harmful than cheating than you couldn’t find on our list? Let us know in the comment section below.
