Red Flags Unveiled: 7 Early Indicators of a Toxic Relationship

2bebetter
5 min readJul 4

7 Early Signs of a Toxic Relationship

Do you often feel drained and unhappy in your relationship? The person you once fell in love with just doesn’t seem to be there, and the relationship seems to have taken a turn in the wrong direction. A healthy relationship sometimes takes work, but positive feelings often take the front seat. They say they love you, but because of the negative feelings, maybe you sense their love for you might be a toxic one. To help you identify if this may be the case, here are seven signs their love for you is toxic.

Photo by Ben Iwara on Unsplash

1. You give up on your needs because they just don’t care

Have you expressed your needs and wants in a relationship to your partner, only to have them ignored? It’s unhealthy for our needs to be suppressed or put off, and this goes the same for a relationship’s needs. Perhaps you desire a strong connection, affection, or respect, but every time you bring up what you need as a couple, a fight erupts. Maybe they bring up accusations as a deflect, or maybe they decide to mock your needs instead. These are all toxic relationship behaviors. You may even give up on bringing up the topic because you simply want to sway away from another argument. But suppressing your feelings is never healthy. Instead, both of your needs should be discussed in order to set the relationship back on a healthy track.

2. Hostile communication

Does criticism take the lead in your conversations with your partner? Are arguments a regular occurrence? Do you expect your partner’s sarcasm around every corner? A healthy couple should value kindness and respect. Respect and communication are one of the most important aspects of any relationship. Without them, your connection may falter sooner or later. You may even avoid meaningful discussions. Hostility, sarcasm, and criticism are all signs of toxic communication.

3. You put in all the work

Do you find that you’re the only one putting in the effort? Successful relationships require effort from both sides. You may think you need to work just a little harder and give a little more of yourself in order for the relationship to last. You feel…

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