Know the signs your relationship is making you depressed and get out as soon as possible. Take it from me! When I was eighteen, I had my first serious relationship. I really fell head-over-heels for the guy I was seeing. While I was all goo-goo eyed over him, I didn’t notice my mental health was in jeopardy.
I was incredibly sad, feeling lonely, and insecure about myself and my relationship. And while trying to make him happy, I didn’t realize I was losing myself. He wasn’t truly making me happy; instead, he broke me down through verbal and emotional abuse. Of course, I may have noticed it, but I chose to ignore the red flags.
This relationship was spilling into other areas of my life and ruining my relationships with my other friends and family. I would literally cry after my university classes. I felt overwhelmed and lost.
# Your depression started when the relationship startedMaybe you had a couple of months at the beginning where the relationship was all rainbows and butterflies, but it faded pretty quick. If you’re in a low-quality relationship, the odds are you’ll feel depressed. If these feelings started during this relationship, you need to put two and two together.
# You’re happy when your partner leaves
When your partner goes to work or leaves to hang out with a friend, you feel this relief, as if the pressure lifted off your shoulders. If you have more mental energy when they’re gone than when they’re around you, it’s a strong sign.
# Your physical health has declinedWhen you’re depressed, your mental state isn’t the only thing to decline. The body is a giant machine and all parts work together. If your mental state isn’t well, then your physical state will slowly go downhill. Whether it’s headaches, anxiety, depression, or insomnia. These are all signs your body is telling you something isn’t right.
# You feel stuckYou’ve thought about leaving, but at the same time, you feel that you can’t. This happened to me. I knew I was in a bad place, but my self-esteem was so low, I didn’t think I could leave the relationship. I didn’t think anyone else would love me or want to be with me, and that he was the best I could do.
# Your self-esteem has crumbledSince you started dating, you’ve watched your self-esteem slowly crumble. You used to be confident in yourself, but your partner has broken you down. With low self-esteem comes feelings of depression and self-hate.
# You’ve been trying to not think about your relationshipYou’ve spent most of your time in your relationship, trying not to think about your relationship. You’ll spend hours binge-watching TV and other distracting activities that don’t bring anything positive to your life. You just want to forget the situation you’re in.
# When you start to look at your issues, it all points to them
I don’t want to point the finger at your partner and say they’re to blame for everything. You’re in this relationship, and you are the only one who can leave or stay. So, take some responsibility for yourself as well. But when you look at the issues you’ve developed throughout the relationship, most of them started because of your relationship.
# You feel out of controlYou don’t need to control every aspect of your relationship, but you feel you don’t even have control over your own voice and choices. Your partner does everything for you. If you don’t feel in control of your own thoughts and actions, then who are you?