Relationship Problems: Know When to Leave or Stay

Sometimes it is difficult to tell if your relationship problems are serious, this guide on relationship problems: know when to leave or stay will help you evaluate your situation so you can take the next step.  If you're having relationship problems it can be difficult to know when to leave or stay, especially if it's an important relationship. These guidelines can help you decide whether to stay and try to repair your ailing relationship, or head for the hills and start over with someone new.

1. Evaluate the foundation of your relationship. Healthy relationships are based on trust, communication, honesty and respect. Both partners in a relationship should respect one another's feelings and differences of opinion, and they should allow one another the freedom to pursue separate friends and activities. Partners in healthy relationships share decisions, clear up disagreements peacefully, and respect one another's physical boundaries and privacy.
2. Determine the cause of your relationship problems. Relationship problems can occur when times get hard, when one or both of you are having personal problems, when you have significant disagreements, or when trust, honesty and communication break down. If your relationship has mostly been based upon trust, honesty, communication and respect, then you may be able to work through your relationship problems. If your relationship has been chronically unhealthy, you may want to consider hitting the road.
3. Know the signs of an unhealthy relationship. If you're in an unhealthy relationship, you might feel like your partner is controlling your life. You might feel pressure to change to please your partner; you might feel unheard in the relationship; you might lack privacy and feel like you have to constantly defend your activities, friendships and interests. In unhealthy relationships, one partner is usually controlling, jealous, possessive, excessively critical and verbally or physically abusive,or both partners might share these traits.
4. Know when to pack in it. If you think your relationship may be unhealthy or abusive, leaving isn't a bad idea. If either you or your partner lacks the will to work on your relationship, staying isn't worth it. If you spend more time feeling unhappy with the relationship then you do feeling good about it, it's time to go.