Relationships are important, as they're an avenue to broad companionship, having a trusty confidant, and having someone with whom you'll work through the journey of life. Relationships cut across different aspects of life; dating can be said to be being in a relationship, couples are obviously in a relationship, and friendship is another aspect we can term as being in a relationship. Relationships play a vital role in our lives, and that's because being in the right one can go a long way in propelling us to great achievement, while an unhealthy one can mar our lives, and that's why today I'll be talking about some of the signs and dangers of unhealthy relationships.
I'm writing this with the intention of making people become aware of the toxic nature of unhealthy relationships and the damage they can cause. And when we talk about unhealthy relationships, one of their features is how they're deadly and toxic, deadly in the sense that they can lead to our end or endanger our lives and toxic in the sense that they can affect our mental and physical health, leading to mental health issues or physical injuries. So what then does it mean if I say a relationship can be toxic and deadly? Below I'll be sharing some and a real-life example I've witnessed to further buttress the point.
Unhealthy relationships can bring about injury to you. Take, for instance, I knew of a lady during my undergraduate days who was in a relationship with a guy, and despite the fact that they claimed to love each other, they tended to have disagreements that led to fights all the time. The guy in question sometimes beat her to a point where you'd see bruises all over her body, and she'd start visiting the hospital for treatment. A relationship is meant to be enjoyed, not endured. And when you're in a place that does the opposite, you must flee for your own safety.
How does one take precautions against delving into an unhealthy relationship? Well, as a Christian, my first procured solution is to be prayerful, praying that God guides your steps towards the right person. Secondly, you need to be watchful of red flags that are signs of potentially unhealthy relationships, signs such as abusive behaviours during friendship or early stages of such relationships and jealous accusations that come from a place of lack of trust and could lead to physical violence and unwillingness to take responsibility. Another sign is how such an individual would most likely show signs of excessive control on sensitive matters and, most importantly, inability to manage anger.
These and many more are signs we must watch out for so as not to work ourselves into a relationship that'll lead us into a miserable relationship. The signs will always be there, and we must be vigilant to take note of them. Don't discard them because you're in love. When you see something you can't take in a relationship or marriage, talk about it or run for your life before you get to a stage where you can't easily leave again due to attachments such as pregnancy, children coming between you two, and the like.
Toxic relationships are poisonous and mustn't be managed. A friend of mine was married to a guy who beat her at every opportunity, and during one of our discussions, I asked her how come she didn't notice any of these signs, and she said she was carried away by love. Fast forward to today: love can't sustain the relationship again because she's more or less a punching bag to him anytime he's angry, and she had to be separated from him for the time being. Don't let your case get to that stage before you take action.
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