Most relationships don’t come to an abrupt end over a one-time offense. When couples are really in love with one another and committed, relationships tend to die off due to a series of little problems that kept happening over a long period of time. Though you’d probably never do anything to intentionally hurt the one you love, it can be surprisingly easy to adopt bad habits that slowly start to drain the life out of them and your relationship.
Being aware of these habits and cutting them off before they get out of hand can be the difference between saving your partnership and losing out on one of the best things to ever happen to you. Below are some bad habits you may need to address if you want to maintain a happy and healthy relationship:
Always Being Plugged In
Smartphones are a modern convenience that everyone has. It is essentially a miniature computer with internet access. It enables you to do and explore everything in an instant. It can quickly become a distraction in your relationship. Checking your phone for emails, spending too much time on social media, and a host of other activities could keep you glued to your phone. Your partner can begin to feel neglected, ignored, and taken advantage of.
What to do: You can’t be glued to your phone all the time. It is best to use it in moderation. When you’re with your partner, make it a no phone moment so the two of you can reconnect. Even if the phone use is for work, turning it off for a few hours to give your partner your undivided attention can make all the difference.
Partying Too Much
You and your partner might love to go out and have a good time. Perhaps you even met in a bar or on a club scene. You enjoy going out with friends and indulging in the finest drinks. There’s certainly nothing wrong with having a good time, but if you party too much, it could ruin your relationship. Coming home all hours of the night, increasing your intake of drugs and alcohol, or engaging in dangerous behaviors are all factors that could cause a breakup.
What to do: Everyone enjoys a good time but if your partner has started to express their disdain for your partying ways, you need to scale back. If you’re struggling with substance dependency, the first thing you should be doing is finding a detox center to get clean. Then, reduce your partying to a few times a month. Set curfews, limit drug and alcohol intake, and communicate with your partner so they don’t become worried or stressed.
Snooping
Trust is hard to earn but easily taken away. You may have an inner urge to go snooping through your spouse’s things to make sure they’re not up to no good, but this is a bad habit to form. Checking cell phones, reading social media comments, rummaging through the laundry, and other methods of spying will all come back to bite you in the end. If your partner finds out, whether they’ve been loyal or not, they will no longer trust you.
What to do: As difficult as this advice may be, you need to learn to trust your spouse. If you’re struggling with insecurities or there has been infidelity in the relationship in the past then you should talk about it or seek therapy. If you truly can’t trust your partner, you may need to consider leaving the relationship behind.
No relationship worth having is easy or perfect, but if you want a fighting chance of keeping your love alive then you need to be honest. Identify what bad habits may be contributing to the negative changes in your relationship and then come up with a plan to fix them. Whether it’s going to an alcohol rehab for detox, seeking therapy, or unplugging the cell phone at the end of the night, it’s worth sacrificing for the one you love.