When to Walk Away: Signs Your Relationship is Harming Your Self-Worth

Last Updated:January 12, 2025, 10:41 IST

Though walking away from any relationship is hard, it is a must when the relationship destroys your self esteem

A positive relationship is quite uplifting and motivating but on the other hand, a harmful relationship drowns your self worth and makes you feel disappointed. For achieving happiness and contentment in your relationships, it is very important to understand when a relationship turns challenging and disturbing. Aamish Dhingra, ICF- PCC Certified Life Coach, and co-founder, Cocoweave Coaching International shares all you need to know:

1. Abuse (physical/verbal)Clearest sign to walk away from the relationship is verbal or physical abuse by the partner. It is extremely destructive for self esteem and imprints long lasting scars. Abuse is not at all acceptable and definitely needs to be addressed.
2. Constant criticismWhen a relationship is healthy, it helps you achieve your goals and is progressive in nature. But if your partner is constantly belittling or criticizing you, it’s time to make a second opinion as it may take a negative toll on your self confidence. Giving you self doubt is the number one sign of a negative relationship.
3. Feeling invisibleIf there comes a feeling of not being seen, heard or valued in the relationship, it may make you feel invisible in the relationship. It’s a sign of emotional neglect and damages your self-confidence. Self reflection is the key to understanding whether your relationship is favouring you or damages your worth.
4. Emotional manipulationEmotional manipulation is when your partner blames you for all the issues that arise in between you and make you feel guilty. This makes you feel quite demotivated and you keep on questioning yourself for all the negative experiences that have happened in the past. Never fall prey to this and make note to know yourself.
5. Emotional drainingRelationships should make you emotionally stable and strong and not drain your energy. If you don’t feel like spending time with your partner and find it hard to express your emotions, there is definitely some issue in the relationship.
6. One-sided effortsThe arising of feeling that the efforts are always one-sided and it’s only you who is putting in the efforts in the relationship, it is time to take a step back and walk away as the relationship you share is not fulfilling. If it is only you who is making efforts to spend time together or begin a relationship, better stop and take a step backwards.
7. Trust issuesA strong foundation for any relationship is trust, but if you feel hard to trust your spouse in the relationship, this companionship might not work for the long run. Additionally, if you feel your partner constantly questioning you or not giving you privacy and also lying to you, it’s hard time to take a break from this sort of relationship.

Though walking away from any relationship is hard, it is a must when the relationship destroys your self esteem. Always keep yourself and your emotions as the number one priority and don’t let anybody demean you!