Are you guilty of these bad relationship habits?

No one is perfect (not even us) and we all have habits that can get in the way of day-to-day life, but it’s not the nail biting or the avoidance of exercise or even the leaving lights on in every room that concerns us. No, we’re more interested in the bad habits that can hurt your relationship. We’ve put together a list of three of the worst relationship bad habits – are you guilty of any of them?

Arguing to win

No one likes to admit when they’re wrong, but doing so can greatly improve your relationship. Focusing on getting the last word in is a bad habit and one that can chip away at your relationship, eventually driving a wedge between you and your partner. If you always think you’re right, your partner will be filled with anger and resentment – not good. Instead of arguing to win, focus on the other person’s needs, not your own. Remember that arguing is meant to move the relationship forward and help you come up with a solution or compromise that allows both people to feel heard and understood.

Poor communication

Communication is key to a lasting, healthy relationship and in order to feel close, you need to be able to share what is going on in your inner world, particularly your feelings, both positive and negative, with your partner. Sounds easy, right? Well, it can be even easier to get into a habit of holding things in. If you feel that you’re not being understood or that your partner doesn’t listen to you, there’s a higher likelihood that problems will arise. To help break this pattern, be open and honest. Ask your partner what it is about how you communicate that isn’t working. Ideally, this will open a dialogue about how exactly to improve how you interact with one another.

Not accepting differences

Even though you may have fallen for your partner because of your similarities, keep in mind that everyone is different and those differences should never be called out as negative or wrong. Instead, appreciate the ways you and your partner are different – it allows you to learn from one another. If differences aren’t allowed, each person won’t be able to truly be themselves and there’s no way each person’s needs can be met. Accepting that there is more than one way to cope with a problem or see a certain issue is important to remember if you want your relationship to succeed. Make an effort to understand that we are all different and there is not a right way to be or feel or act.

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