{"id":38255,"date":"2022-03-01T19:14:28","date_gmt":"2022-03-01T18:14:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/?p=37938"},"modified":"2022-04-13T09:04:37","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T07:04:37","slug":"relationship-red-flags","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/relationship-red-flags\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Relationship Red Flags to Watch Out For"},"content":{"rendered":"

Being in a relationship is hard\u2013especially when they\u2019re <\/span>long term<\/span>. For some, they form their identity around their partner, making it hard to spot things that they perhaps once believed to be a deal breaker. Not just that, but seeing those waving red flags is even harder when you\u2019re so invested in another human.<\/span><\/p>\n

And for new relationships, we\u2019re all well-aware of those stylish yet toxic rose-coloured glasses that make everything appear as if they were sunshine.<\/span><\/p>\n

What also makes it hard to notice red flags in a relationship is the fact that society has a history of normalising unhealthy behaviour. And let\u2019s not mention the level of romanticism we see in <\/span>TV and films<\/span> concerning emotional abuse.<\/span><\/p>\n

7 Relationship Red Flags<\/span><\/h1>\n

At the end of the day, it\u2019s important to recognise red flags and to become more in-tune with ourselves so that we don\u2019t tolerate behaviour we don\u2019t deserve.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For a lot of people, staying with someone who is not good for them is the easier route, as so many individuals have such a <\/span>fear of being alone<\/span> that they stick around and endure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now is the time to reclaim your power and trust your gut instinct! Because if you\u2019re experiencing one or more of these red flags in your relationship, you deserve better!<\/span><\/p>\n

What is a \u2018Red Flag\u2019?<\/span><\/h2>\n

A red flag, in a literal sense, signifies a reason to stop. Think about what happens at sports games when a red flag is waved. The game is halted because of a foul, or the conditions are too dangerous to continue. Think about traffic lights. Red too means stop.<\/span><\/p>\n

Figuratively, a red flag in a relationship is something that lets someone know that their partner is probably incapable of having a healthy partnership.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are a lot of different red flags, some are more noticeable than others, and sometimes, it may take time to recognise a relationship red flag. Listening to your gut feeling and trusting your intuition, however, goes a long way when identifying different behaviours in a partner.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are 7 relationship red flags to look out for, whether you\u2019re in a new partnership or a long term one.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Ex Bashing<\/span><\/h2>\n

We can tell a lot about a person by the way they <\/span>talk about their exes<\/span><\/a>. When someone continues to bash their ex or exes, it shows a lot of disrespect towards them. And while no relationship is perfect, watch how and when your partner talks about their previous relationships.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Do they use the word \u201ccrazy\u201d to describe one or more partners? Or do they have a softer tone in which to describe a \u2018bad\u2019 relationship, such as saying: <\/span>\u201cThings didn\u2019t end well, but I wish them all the best\u201d?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Ex-bashing is a big red flag when they continue to talk ill of past partners, and there\u2019s clearly unhealthy lingering feelings of anger and resentment.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. One-Sided Attention and Entitlement<\/span><\/h2>\n

Whether it\u2019s plain ol\u2019 narcissism or they\u2019re displaying a lack of interest in what you have to say, one-sided attention means that you\u2019re not getting the attention you deserve.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Things to look out for would be if they continue to interject while you\u2019re speaking, constantly talk only about themselves, and feel anxious when it\u2019s their moment to listen to you.<\/span><\/p>\n

You could also look out for their lack of self-accountability, a lack of empathy, and their ability to make everything about them.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Excessive Compliments<\/span><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s always nice to hear a compliment<\/a>. And during the honeymoon phase, <\/span>words of affirmation<\/span><\/a> and adoration are usually rife. But there is a red flag most likely to be found if your partner continuously tells you how perfect you are.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By doing this, they could either be buttering you up so that you melt, or they\u2019ve created this seemingly flawless image of you in their head\u2013an image that isn\u2019t human (or both!).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This kind of behaviour could mean that they don\u2019t really see you as <\/span>you<\/span><\/i>, and any imperfection could cause them to shatter.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. (Subtle) Acts of Control\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are so many ways that someone can manipulate and control another, and many of these ways can be so subtle that they\u2019re hard to recognise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They may start guilting you when you want to see friends or family, saying something like you\u2019re choosing another over them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another act of control could be them demanding that you either deactivate all your <\/span>social media<\/span> accounts, or give them all of your passwords so that they can monitor who you\u2019re talking to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Remember: you are 100 percent entitled to autonomy and privacy.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Hiding the Relationship Status<\/span><\/h2>\n

There\u2019s a difference between someone who simply does not want to spill their personal lives on social media and beyond, and someone who actively hides or refuses to make their relationship status public to anyone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are they keeping <\/span>secret<\/span>? Well, perhaps <\/span>you<\/span><\/i> are the secret.<\/span><\/p>\n

With today\u2019s <\/span>technology<\/span>, it\u2019s easy to let out pieces of personal information. And when a partner doesn\u2019t want you to post photos of you two, tag them, or to list yourself as \u201cin a relationship\u201d with them, it can definitely be considered a relationship red flag.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If they\u2019re especially shady about telling their friends and family about you after dating for some time, be cautious.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Violent Tendencies<\/span><\/h2>\n

We all have the capacity to get angry, doing things like punching a pillow out of frustration. But there is a fine line between letting out excess irritability in a healthy way, and violence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If your partner is showing you violent tendencies, such as destructively hitting walls, getting into physical fights with others, or even showing violence towards animals, this is a major relationship red flag.<\/span><\/p>\n

This could mean that they haven\u2019t developed a healthy way of channelling their emotions, or it could mean that they lack empathy for others. This is not to say that they will ever be violent towards you, but this kind of behaviour is something to be concerned about in dating.<\/span><\/p>\n

7. A Lack of Friends<\/span><\/h2>\n

When a partner has no friends, they may struggle to build and <\/span>maintain relationships<\/span>, and to connect with others. Soon, you may realise that they often lack personal culpability or a sense of drive, which may result in the same treatment towards you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only that, but it\u2019s healthy for partners to have their own friends and social lives apart from each other.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When one partner continuously relies on you to be their everything, you may experience misery, resentment, and even a feeling of suffocation.<\/span><\/p>\n

While there are so many more relationship red flags, it would be simply impossible to list them all here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We are incredibly complex human beings, but the main thing to remember is to always listen to your inner voice and know your worth. Settling could set you up for a lifetime of unhappiness, and we all deserve much better than that.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Being in a relationship is hard\u2013especially when they\u2019re long term. For some, they form their identity around their partner, making it hard to spot things that they perhaps once believed to be a deal breaker. Not just that, but seeing those waving red flags is even harder when you\u2019re so invested in another human. And for new relationships, we\u2019re all well-aware of those stylish yet toxic rose-coloured glasses that make everything appear as if they were sunshine. What also makes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":115,"featured_media":38384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[925,924],"tags":[189],"coauthors":[948],"class_list":["post-38255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-committed","category-dating","tag-healthy-relationship"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n7 Relationship Red Flags You Should Never Ignore<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Along with using your gut feeling to guide you, watch out for these 7 relationship red flags if you want happy and healthy partnerships.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/relationship-red-flags\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta 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