When you’re in love with someone, and you enter a new and exciting relationship, you have high expectations, right?
Unfortunately, things don’t always turn out how we hoped, and we find ourselves questioning who this person we love and care about really is.
If you’ve been thinking about these questions recently, this article can help. We’ll discuss how to recognize when your partner is bringing out your worst qualities.
1) Instead of helpful feedback, they’re always finding faults, making you feel bad
One of the worst things your partner can do is to constantly criticize you. Their relentless focus on your flaws isn’t just about pointing them out.
It regularly reminds you and makes you feel inadequate, overshadowing your achievements.
This persistent criticism becomes a heavy burden and creates a cycle of self-doubt that’s mentally and emotionally exhausting.
To counter this, let them know that you’re open to suggestions but prefer them to be delivered respectfully and constructively.
But also choose your battles:
Not every criticism deserves the same level of attention.
2) In tough times, they’re not there for you
Knowing that whatever happens to you, you’ll have someone have your back is very comforting.
But when that doesn’t happen, your partner has broken an important part of your relationship and bond.
During difficult times, you feel vulnerable and lonely without a strong anchor for support.
It feels like you’re facing challenges alone, and that can make tough times even harder. Especially if you already feel isolated from your family and friends.
That’s why if your partner doesn’t support you, they bring out the worst in you.
3) They make you distance from friends and family
Another way that your partner might bring out the worst in you is if they isolate you on purpose.
They want you to stay away from your friends and family. It’s like they want to be the only important person in your life, which can be really lonely and isolating.
The only person you can count on now is your partner, and that might not say much if they aren’t there for you when you need them.
My family isn’t perfect. Whose is, right? But I would never let my partner isolate me from them.
That would just raise red flags, and I’d think there’s something wrong with her and not my family or friends.
4) Instead of honest talk, they use tricks, making things toxic
Your partner doesn’t have straightforward or honest conversations; they play tricks or games instead. If that sounds familiar, they’re a manipulator.
It’s not a healthy way to communicate, and it creates an atmosphere of distrust and unease.
It will also only bring out the worst in you as you either fall for it and get manipulated, or you start seeing through them and their bullshit.
5) They want to control your life
Unfortunately, many people love having complete control over their partner’s life. If they want to be in charge of everything in your life, from what you do to what you decide, you’re in a bad place.
They obviously don’t believe you can make your own choices, and that can make you feel suffocated and less confident. If you let them.
Instead, set boundaries as to how far they can go with their “suggestions.” Let them know they’re treating you like a child, and you won’t stand for it any longer.
6) They bring a lot of negativity, affecting how you feel
Some people are all doom and gloom. They often carry a dark cloud of negativity around them, and it influences the mood of the relationship.
There’s a persistent gloominess that makes it challenging to see the bright side of things.
Have you noticed that about your partner and the relationship in general? If so, it feels terrible, right?
You can’t show you’re happy because they’ll resent you. Their line of thinking is, how can you be happy if they aren’t.
7) They don’t trust you, causing stress
Imagine you’re always telling the truth about something, but your partner doesn’t really believe you.
They have this constant doubt about you in their mind, and you end up feeling stressed because you have to keep showing and explaining that you’re being honest.
You basically have a never-ending task of proving yourself, and that ongoing stress makes the relationship feel tense and strenuous.
For example, you share plans to meet friends, and they question whether you’re really going out or if there’s some other motive.
8) They don’t care about your thoughts and feelings, hurting your confidence
Another warning sign your partner is bringing out the worst in you is if they don’t pay attention to what you think or how you feel.
When you try to share your ideas or talk about your emotions, they act like it’s not important.
This can be really hurtful because everyone wants to feel listened to and understood. When they don’t care about what matters to you, it makes you feel less sure of yourself, like your thoughts and feelings don’t really matter.
This can chip away at your confidence, making you doubt if what you think and feel is valuable at all.
To deal with that, give them concrete examples of situations where you felt unheard or dismissed. This can help them understand the specific behaviors that worry you.
Ask your partner about their perspective and whether there’s a reason for their behavior. Many times, there are underlying issues that need to be addressed.
9) They get angry a lot, making things uncomfortable
This is something that can quickly break a relationship. Getting mad all of the time is something that’s far from normal behavior.
It’s obvious they’re frustrated, and there are underlying reasons for their irrational behavior.
It could be their work or even their life in general. Kids are also “excellent” triggers of frustration and anger.
It’s also not just about occasional frustration. They get mad often, and when that happens, everything feels uneasy.
It’s as if you’re walking on eggshells, trying not to upset them because their anger can make the atmosphere tense and uncomfortable.
All in all, their behavior certainly brings out the worst in you.
10) They always want their way
In every healthy relationship, there has to be a healthy dose of compromise. One person can’t always be right, and they can’t always have it their way.
That’s just not how real life works, right?
That’s why if they constantly want things to go their way, they affect you because you don’t have a say in things.
And if you can’t voice your opinions or, even worse, they don’t respect them, you’re in a toxic relationship with a terrible partner.
11) They don’t show affection or talk, making things tough
Most relationships start with plenty of affection and late-night talks. But somewhere along the line, you start kissing less and less, and you start talking less and less, too.
Although that’s perfectly normal, it doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. You and your partner can work on these important things and make the relationship feel fresh again.
But if they don’t want to do that, this lack of affection and communication makes the relationship challenging.
You feel lonely or like there’s a barrier between you two. It’s tough when you want closeness and conversation, but it feels like they’re keeping a distance.
You’re not being your best, and you start resenting them. And that’s not a good place to be.
12) After talking to them, you feel exhausted
Have you ever felt completely exhausted after talking to someone?
Your conversations consistently escalate into unresolved conflict. Instead of finding solutions or compromise, discussions become emotionally charged and leave you feeling emotionally spent as issues stay unresolved, adding to the ongoing tension.
Well, if you feel like that after talking to your partner, it’s another red flag showing they’re not good for you and are, in fact, bringing out the worst in you.
Final thoughts
There’s no magic bullet for dealing with such a partner. They clearly have underlying reasons for their behavior.
Until you come to the bottom of that, there will probably be no healthy relationship, and they’ll keep bringing out the worst in you and your relationship.
