10 Bad Relationship Signs to be on the Lookout For: Are You Being Used by Your Boyfriend?

There are plenty of solid reasons why it is a bad idea to continue investing your time in a bad relationship and it often pays, in the long run, to accept when something is broken and move on, especially if you pay attention to some of the clear warning signs that are there if you look for them.

10 Bad Relationship Signs to be on the Lookout For: Are You Being Used by Your Boyfriend?

Spotting the subtle and even the not so subtle telltale signs he doesn’t want a relationship with you could prove to be a good thing to do for your future happiness.

Here are some of the pointers to be aware of that could be warning you that things are not as they should be in your relationship.

Jealousy can easily become an overwhelming emotion

You want your boyfriend to take an interest in what’s going on in your life outside of your relationship but there is a clear distinction between asking you about your day and going off in a jealous rage when they think you are not being truthful with them.

We all experience a a certain amount of jealousy but if your boyfriend is always getting upset about the texts you get or when you decide to spend an evening with your friends that can easily get out of hand.

A jealous rage where they accuse you of flirting with someone or even cheating on them is never a good thing to have to contend with.

A good relationship thrives on trust and if your boyfriend can’t control their jealousy and they start to get possessive and controlling that’s not good.

Giving you the silent treatment

It is sometimes hard to recognize passive aggression when you first fall victim to this sort of approach from your boyfriend.

One example would be when you see that your boyfriend seems to be sulking about something but when you ask them to talk about what is wrong they refuse to elaborate and say that nothing is wrong.

If they then proceed to spend the evening giving you the silent treatment that is a classic of an unhealthy trait in your relationship, otherwise known as passive-aggressive behavior, especially if this happens on a regular basis.

Hard to find a happy medium

Volatility in a person is really hard to contend with and if your boyfriend seems to be displaying wild mood swings that go from high to low that makes them unpredictable.

It is perfectly natural to anticipate a certain level of conflict in any relationship but not when it is regular and definitely not when it comes to a high degree of volatility.

Afraid to speak your mind?

The very definition of a healthy relationship is one that relies heavily on a good degree of trust and open dialogue between the two of you.

If you are finding that you are afraid to raise a certain subject or hide things for fear of confrontation and reprisals from your boyfriend that is not healthy.

Seeking consent to do something

A couple should enjoy equal status in the relationship and it is not right when one of you feels that they need to ask permission from the other to do something that should be taken as a given.

Of course, you want to talk about major decisions and ask what your boyfriend thinks about a job the opportunity you have, for example, but asking permission to do everyday things like meeting up with friends is not something that you should feel you need to seek consent for.

Are you getting cut off from friends and family?

If you are in a controlling and the bad relationship one of the consequences of that scenario is you could quickly become isolated and end up losing touch with your network of friends and family members.

If your boyfriend objects to or even attempt to deny you access to people you are close to that is a bad sign and a red flag that should not be ignored.

Are you body-conscious?

There might be certain aspects of your body that you are not entirely happy with but that’s normal, however, what is not normal is when your boyfriend regularly points out aspects of your appearance of body shape that they don’t like.

This can affect your confidence and is not the behavior you should expect in a normal healthy relationship.

You are both developing some bad habits

If you are in a bad relationship and suffering from the negativity that comes with that situation it can cause you or your boyfriend to partake in unhealthy habits as a way of dealing with it.

If you find that your drinking more than you ever used to or have started smoking to cope with the stress in your life that is a clear sign that things are not as they should be in your relationship.

You suffer a loss of confidence

Be honest with yourself, do you feel worse about yourself than you did when you first started going out with your boyfriend?

Suffering a loss of confidence and struggling to see the qualities in yourself that you believed you once had are classic symptoms associated with being in a toxic and unhealthy relationship.

A shoulder to cry on

If your boyfriend really cares about you and is not just using you it is fair to expect them to be supportive of what you do and to be there when you need some emotional support.

If you are unsure that your boyfriend will really come through for you in your hour of need and offer that all-important shoulder to cry on it is a sign that your relationship is not in the sort of shape it should be.

If you don’t turn to each other for emotional support and tend to look outside of your relationship for advice and reassurance that is one of several key indicators that you and your boyfriend are not the couples that you hoped you would be when the romance first started.