12 Signs You're in a Toxic Relationship That's Making You Sick

Love is hard, and sometimes even the best of relationships can make us sick at moments. However, if that sadness is coming from an abusive or toxic relationship, it is important to recognize and potentially leave for your own wellbeing. Here are twelve signs of your relationship being toxic, and the physical effects that might result.

1. Constant fighting

One of the clearest indications of a toxic relationship is constant fighting. Eventually you forget what it's like not to fight all day, and can't remember what normal even felt like. If you are fighting more often than you are getting along, it is probably time to leave.

2. Not forgiving or forgetting

If you can't forgive your partner, or they can't forgive you, a relationship cannot work because it degrades the trust between the two of you. By not forgetting, you are holding on to a constant source of arguments. It also means that you might not be communicating effectively, because an inability to forgive or forget is often a result of the inability to convey how you are feeling about a situation in order to release the frustration.

3. Name-calling

Resorting to name-calling is never okay. If your partner is insulting you instead of trying to approach things constructively, you should probably consider getting out of the relationship. If you are the one doing the name-calling, get out of this habit immediately.

4. Lying to protect your emotions

If you find yourself lying to your partner out of fear that they will attack you either emotionally or physically, your relationship is definitely toxic. You should be able to both voice your emotions and concerns without fear of being ridiculed or degraded; after all, a relationship is supposed to support you, not make you feel ashamed of yourself. If you feel unsafe where you are supposed to be most protected, it's time to get out.

5. Coping with substances

If you find yourself turning to either drinking or drugs as a result of your emotional turmoil, there is definitely a huge problem even beyond the scope of your relationship. It often shows that you want to leave the relationship because you are unable to leave physically, so you decide to leave emotionally via anything from cigarettes to cocaine.

Believe it or not, this can actually be the case for other coping mechanisms such as exercise. If you find that you're throwing yourself into something else because you're unhappy with the situation in your daily life, it is a sign that the relationship is toxic.

6. Hiding things from your friends

If you feel like you have to hide things from your friends because they would judge you, that is usually an indicator of a problem. You should be able to be open with your friends about what is going on in your life, specifically because they are the ones that care about you most. So, if you are ashamed of their reaction, you probably already know that there is a problem at hand that you aren't addressing.

If you're really worried that you might be in a toxic relationship that might be making you sick, your friends are exactly the people you need to talk to.

Read on for 6 more signs that you might be in a toxic relationship.