Bad habits are appropriately named because they cause problems for us and those around us. While minor bad habits such as nail biting and chewing with your mouth open can be annoying, some habits can be disastrous to our relationships, driving our partners away. In this article, we’ll discuss the annoying habits that will drive your partner away and how to address them for a healthier connection.
Habits are defined by the fact that they are repetitive behaviors. One bad act is easily forgiven and ignored, but doing something disruptive repeatedly, no matter how minor, can cause a crack in your relationship that grows with each repetition. Most of the time, people only realize how damaging their bad habit can be when the damage is too obvious to ignore.
10 Bad Habits That Will Destroy Your Relationship
What are the bad habits that are most damaging to a relationship? Here are ten of the worst.
Treating your partner as if they were a project.
Trying to mold your partner into the person you want them to be is a toxic habit that could destroy your relationship. Consider how you would react if your partner did the same to you. Staying in a relationship with the hope of changing your partner into someone else is a selfish motive.
Making your battles public.
By failing to keep your disagreements private, you are embarrassing yourself and your partner and drawing unwanted negative attention to your relationship. Not only will this not resolve your disagreement, but your partner may become disgusted by your childish behavior and decide to leave you.
Criticizing close family and friends.
Regardless of how annoying family and friends can be, criticizing your partner’s friends and family is also criticizing your partner. A partner who believes you are constantly criticizing their loved ones may begin to resent you.
These people have been in your partner’s life for a long time and are unlikely to leave, so you might as well learn to like (or at least tolerate) them.
There is far too much PDA.
The only people who enjoy public displays of affection are those who participate in them. It’s easy to forget that no one else wants to see you sucking each other’s faces when a couple is making out in public.
Some partners feel compelled to be affectionate in public to demonstrate to others that they are taken and in love with their partner. On the other hand, being insensitive to the people around you can make your partner feel self-conscious and awkward and possibly even resentful of the unwanted attention from others.
Extending an argument.
Dragging an argument out for any longer than necessary is a waste of time. This is when you’ve already discussed everything about a previous argument, and nothing is left on the table, but your partner keeps bringing it up again and again. This is simply unnecessary and serves no purpose in moving the relationship forward.
Keeping grudges.
People make mistakes, and relationships are no exception. Holding on to every blunder your partner has made and refusing to forgive will only exhaust your partner and ruin your relationship. After your partner has apologized and the two of you have discussed the situation, make sure you forgive them. Otherwise, let the person go if the mistake is too painful to overcome.
Avoiding difficult conversations.
When you know there is an important issue to discuss but avoid it, you only give your partner more reasons to be concerned about you and the situation in general. If someone does not clear the air, one partner may spend too much time believing that the other does not care. This can lead to an even bigger blowout and may even be the end of your relationship.
Keeping track of your partner’s errors.
Because relationships aren’t a game, there’s no need for a scoreboard to show how many times you were correct. Doing so indicates that you are unable to let go of all the times your partner has wronged you, even if the issue has been resolved and dropped.
Comparing your current partner to an ex.
It can’t always be avoided, but even then, it shouldn’t be something you do openly. Constantly comparing your current partner to your ex is an obvious sign that you haven’t moved on from your ex.
And if your partner knows you’re constantly making mental comparisons, they’ll begin to feel like they can’t be themselves because the ghost of your oh-so-perfect ex haunts your relationship.
You do not appreciate your partner.
You are depriving your partner of a basic need in a relationship if you consistently ignore his or her need for appreciation and praise. No one wants to feel like they’re being taken for granted, and if you never thank your partner for what they do for you, they might stop trying to make you happy.
Bad habits can irritate your partner in more ways than one. Some of these common blunders can devastate your relationship. Recognizing and addressing toxic behaviors in a relationship will give you a better chance of making the relationship last.
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