Red Flags And Roses: Spotting 8 Signs Of Toxic Relationships in the Dating Game

Dating in itself is a beautiful journey. To share our joys and sorrows with someone we love is an amazing experience. In a relationship, a person is meant to be our happy place. But what if the same person tries to be manipulative and shows toxic relationship traits? Then don’t you think we should take the exit?

We all see the red flags, but often we turn a blind eye towards them, isn’t it? I am sure we all have been there at some point in our lives.

Recognizing toxic traits early in your relationship will save you from a long time trauma. Dating the kind of person you shouldn’t get involved with will only leave you emotionally exhausted. Through this article, we will discuss some red flags that you should watch out for in your relationship.

If you are someone who is already stuck in a toxic relationship, you can still check what red flags you missed. Try to get out of that toxicity and prevent it from happening again.

 

What do we mean by red flags in a relationship?

According to relationship experts, we use the term ‘red flag’ when considering disputes in a relationship. The signals tell us how our partner’s behavior towards us or the relationship is not appropriate. By acknowledging these red flags, you can save yourself from unnecessary toxic relations. Keep in mind that it’s better to be single than be in a toxic relationship.

 

Tendency to miss red flags early in a relationship

Starting a new relationship is always exciting. It gives us the satisfaction that we are being loved. That’s why we don’t pay attention to early red flags, and we don’t do it purposely. It just happens naturally. Here are some reasons why you don’t pay attention to these warning signs:

1. They are not evident in the early stages of dating.
2. You are afraid of any conflicts happening.
3. You do not trust your gut feeling.
4. You have low self-esteem.
5. Your partner does not show his/her true colors intentionally.
6. You have poor boundaries.
7. You tend to minimize red flags as mild.
8. You are too infatuated to notice the red flags.

How do you identify a toxic relationship?

8 red flags you should never ignore

Here are 8 red flags you should look out for in your relationship. Don’t be so naïve to think that these will go away with time because they never really vanish. These signs are non-negotiable if you are looking for a happy and healthy relationship.

 

1. Trust issues:

Building trust is the foundation of any relationship. In the absence of trust, you don’t feel safe in your relationship. If your partner hides something or seems fishy about their whereabouts, you sense a lack of trust here. This feeling may be more if you already have trust issues from past experiences.

2. Love Bombing:

If the person is flooding you with expensive gifts and excess attention and referring to you as soul mates even though they just met, you are a huge red flag. Most narcissist love bomb on their partner when they try to leave the relationship.

 

3. Bitching About Their Exes:

If your partner rants about how bad their ex was on the first date, you better run. These kinds of people just want to paint themselves as heroes and their exes as villains. Degrading their exes, whom they once cared about, just shows what type of person they are.

 

4. Controlling Behaviour:

When someone tries to stop you from engaging with people, calling it possessiveness is not love. This may involve inquiring about whom you are meeting and where you are going and forcing you to answer. In more severe cases, it may lead to stalking, which is a crime.

 

5. Inconsistent Communications:

When your partner is too busy to talk to you for days is not a good signal. It is also a sign of emotional manipulation or unavailability. 

 

6. Infedility:

We all have heard, “Once a cheater, always a cheater.” Lying and cheating go hand in hand, which you should never ignore. Don’t fall for ‘I will never cheat again ‘tactics.

 

7. Codependency:

Being dependent on your partner constantly to feel good and happy is not a good sign. It can emotionally drain the other person.

 

8. Physical Abuses:

No one should tolerate any kind of physical, mental, or social abuse in a relationship. Being in an abusive relationship will give you long time mental trauma, which may cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

 

Concluding Thoughts

I agree that everyone is not perfect, which means there will be some issues in your relationship eventually. But if you are aware of the red flags, you will probably save yourself from some mental trauma. I hope that these points will help you look out for an unhealthy and toxic relationship in the future. We all deserve a relationship that is our safe place. Also, remember to love yourself enough to walk out of any toxic relationship. I wish you the best for your future and hope you end up with the perfect partner.