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It’s all take and no give - To sustain a good relationship, you need both. If you’re constantly giving without receiving, you’ll soon be running on empty.

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Always judging and criticizing you - It’s okay to have opinions, but when it’s constant criticism that is not intended to be helpful, it’s a toxic attempt to belittle you.

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Endless narcissism - If the person only cares to frame everything around themselves, from daily conversations to the entire relationship, you will never be considered an equal partner in the way you should be.

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Lack of trust - No relationship can progress without trust. If you don’t trust them, why stick around? You'll both be endlessly putting out illusory fires.

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Feeling drained - Good relationships should lift you up and add something to your life. If you’re not being your happy and productive self, and you’re always mentally, emotionally, and even physically exhausted, take a step back.

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Betraying yourself - Acting against your own opinions and morals, and instead changing them to match someone else’s, is a sign of a damaging relationship.

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Lack of support - What reason is there to engage in a relationship if you can never rely on one another?

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Bad-mouthing others - If someone talks poorly about others to you, they’re likely trying to get you on their side, and it shows what kind of person they are—you never know if they're talking about you like that.

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Feeling like you can’t do anything right - When this happens, it's not so much about what you do, but rather it's about how you feel. When nothing you do is right, it’s likely the relationship is wrong.

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Constant hostility - Feeling constantly angry or unsafe can take a real toll on every part of your life and is a sure sign of an unhealthy relationship.

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It brings out the worst in you - Harmful relationships have a way of bringing out nasty traits, sometimes just as a means of coping. Good relationships should challenge you to be better.

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A pattern of disrespect - If they don’t respect your space, your time, your feelings, your opinion, etc., it's time to get out of that relationship.

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Blame game - If someone is constantly blaming others or outside factors for their own behavior or actions, that means they’re not willing to admit their mistakes. This makes it impossible to deal with conflict constructively.

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Screaming fights - If your conflicts are always explosive and lead to drastic words or actions, there is great cause for concern.

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Experiencing low self-esteem - Being in a relationship with someone who doesn’t acknowledge your value can make it very difficult to see it in yourself, which can lead to a whole roster of problems.

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Overflowing negativity - Negativity is contagious, and it will seep into various parts of your life. Toxic relationships can darken your entire outlook on life.

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Controlling behavior - Do you feel completely in control of your own actions, schedule, and opinions? Do you feel free to express your true feelings? If not, that's a red flag. 

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Nonstop drama - Good relationships can have drama, but they aren’t a constant mess. If you’re constantly venting about the latest episode in your relationship, change the channel. 

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Avoiding each other - This is a pretty straightforward sign that something’s not working, and yet sometimes it’s hard to recognize it in yourself until you really pay attention. It can even be when you’re with each other.

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You’ve lowered your standards - Toxic relationships have an uncanny ability to cause us to slowly start accepting things we wouldn’t have accepted before.

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Feeling like you can’t leave - If you’ve thought about ending the relationship but you feel you can’t for some reason pertaining to the other person’s benefit, it's likely they've purposely entrapped you.

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Constantly being undermined -

This is a power tactic, and when a relationship becomes a game of power, it’s no longer healthy.

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Feeling unworthy of something better - Part of the trick of maintaining toxic relationships is making you feel like you don’t deserve any better, and therefore you don’t seek any better.

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Steeped in envy - In a positive relationship, difference is a source of strength. In toxic relationships, envy can cause people to do mean things to try and level the other.

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You have no autonomy - You should always have the freedom to make decisions of your own in a relationship.

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Lack of communication - There can be no relationship without proper, two-sided communication.

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Demanding special treatment - If someone is always requiring special treatment, whether to submit something after the deadline or asking you to break your own rules for them, it’s a clear sign they don’t respect you.

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Passive aggression - This toxic form of anti-communication fosters a spiteful atmosphere where none of the real problems are addressed and more are taken on. You should feel comfortable to openly express your feelings and desires.

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Unending lies - Dishonesty is a prominent tool used in manipulation, and from dishonesty comes distrust, hostility, and toxicity.

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You’re just not happy anymore -

If someone is constantly making you unhappy, you owe it to yourself to let that person go.

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What would you tell a friend if they were in this relationship? -

Sometimes framing your relationship using someone else you care about and imagining what advice you’d give them can help you recognize how toxic the relationship is.

See also: Signs you have a toxic boss

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