Knowing That It's Time to Break Up
As an anxiety specialist who loves to work with high achieving highschool and college students, you'd expect most of my session time to be focused on anxiety management strategies.
Which is definitely true. That is a big component of my work. But the fact of the matter is, even when you have anxiety, even if that anxiety is overwhelming... you have a whole life outside of that anxiety, too.
So, sometimes we talk about how to handle a panic attack, and sometimes we talk about why your boyfriend/girlfriend/partner sucks.
Both are important to your well-being.
So, how do you know that it's time to break up? Read below for a few red flags...
1. You don't trust your partner:
Trust is foundational to healthy relationships. And if you don't have a trusting relationship, it's hard to keep communication open. Take time to figure out why you're feeling less trustful - is it them, or you?
2. They're not open to feedback:
If you notice a problem or strain in your relationship, its important to collaborate with your partner and figure out how to right the course. If they're not open to at least exploring what could be done differently, that's a red flag.
3. They purposefully hide information:
Especially if they're hiding who they're hanging out with, or where they're going. While romantic partners have a right to alone time, and it's wonderful to have separate lives, it's important that information isn't hidden. If a partner isn't being honest about where they're at or with whom, it always makes me wonder why they need to hide this information.
4. You're not feeling supported:
Especially for my clients with anxiety and stress, it's important to have a partner help them through their struggles. It's certainly not up to your partner to "fix" you (and that would be a red flag, too), but it is up to your partner to help support your journey and progress.
5. Ultimately, you're over it:
This is the biggest red flag. It's natural to doubt and question your relationship. But once you get to the point of not caring about your relationship one way or the other, it's time to really consider calling it quits.
Anxiety and relationships! Anxiety and school! Anxiety and family drama! Anxiety can impact everything. Curious to hear more about counseling for you or your child? Compassionate Counseling St. Louis provides specialized anxiety and anger management therapy for kids, teens, and college students. We work in Clayton, MO and serve kids, teens, and college students throughout St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Ladue, University City, Town and Country, Webster Groves, Creve Coeur, Kirkwood, Richmond Heights, and Brentwood. You can set up your free phone screening to see if we’re a good fit for your needs right on our website.