The school of life teaches us many valuable lessons, but none are more important than what we learn from love lost.
Relationships help us grow. As we discover who we are and who our partner is, we also learn our values, boundaries and that not everyone is a good person.
While scrolling Reddit, I encountered a thread asking users to share the most valuable lessons they learned from relationships that didn’t last.
Perhaps you can learn from people who’ve been there so you don’t make the same mistakes.
Abuse Won’t Stop
One user said they learned far too late that abusive people wouldn’t magically stop.
“Don’t endure abuse thinking they’ll suddenly realize they’re being abusive and love you more for staying,” they shared.
Abusers typically know their behavior is abusive. They’re doing it on purpose because they want to control someone. And if they don’t know, they need therapy, not a relationship.
Don’t Lose Yourself
Far too many people put everything they have into a relationship, giving up their own goals and desires to become what they think is a good partner. They often lose sight of themselves and no longer have an identity of their own outside of “so-and-so’s partner.”
One user shared a story about being unsure of their likes and dislikes after a breakup.
“After I left my first husband (musician/music snob), I remember listening to a new album I bought and wondering if I liked it. I genuinely didn’t know if I could ‘allow’ myself to because he hadn’t told me if it was good or not,” they said.
You Never Know Someone
We can be with someone for years without knowing who they truly are. You may think everything is great while they’re off living a secret life.
“This one kills me because one of you can try to communicate as much as humanly (possible), but it doesn’t mean a…thing if the other person doesn’t reciprocate,” explained one user. “If they refuse to talk to you about their thoughts and emotions, it’s never going to work. You’ll always be blindsided, and you’ll think you’re on the same page until it’s over,” they added.
People Change
One day, someone can be your perfect partner; the next, they can decide they want something completely different. They can experience something, like an illness, family emergency, or even something far more mundane, and realize they want to change their life.
“The person you’ve got together with may have been a lovely person. But a single event can change them into an entirely different person,” stated one user.
“Sometimes people grow together, sometimes they grow apart,” said another, highlighting the wistful reality of humanity.
Red Flags Don’t Get Better
We often ignore red flags in the honeymoon stage of a relationship, thinking they aren’t a big deal, or it was situational, or the person will mature with age.
Most of the time, that’s not true, and red flags often develop into even worse behavior as the relationship gets more serious.
One user said red flags are “usually markers for where the land mines are buried.”
“A red flag I saw in the beginning and even mentioned to him… was the tip of the iceberg of why our relationship ended. I will never ignore a red flag again. Should have ended it immediately,” shared another.
“Letting You” Be Yourself
All too often, people get together, and one tries to change every aspect about another, attempting to mold them into their “dream person.”
One user said this is a giant red flag.
“If a person doesn’t let you be yourself, then they don’t want you, they just want something from you,” they said.
Others pointed out that sometimes our behavior is toxic though, and a loving partner may want us to change those things for our own good.
“This rings so true! But doesn’t apply to toxic people,” stated one.
Sometimes, You’re the Problem
It takes a lot of introspection to realize that you’re the toxic one. Relationships often end because we don’t do enough to maintain them or engage in destructive behaviors.
“Looking back, I realize most of my failed relationship ships, if not outright my fault, had a lot to do with me. I’d most often blame them, and yeah, not all of my partners were great, or even good people, but I was definitely more at fault (than) I thought I was,” shared one user.
Compatibility in the Beginning
Many relationships fail because of compatibility issues. But rather than move on immediately, far too many of us try to change ourselves to force compatibility.
One user said that after too many failed relationships, they learned “to (choose) my partner and see if we are compatible instead (of) changing myself to fit them or picking the first one that’s interested in me.”
“My oh my, have I gone to some dark places trying to change my personality to fit a partner’s personality,” admitted another.
Communication & Manipulation
“Communication without action is just complaining,” shared one user. They added that they always tried to address the problems, and their partner only told them to be patient. The issues were never addressed, and they eventually ran out of patience.
Another rephrased it as “an apology without change is just manipulation.”
Both partners must want to improve the relationship and be willing to work together to solve problems.
Mental Illness and Abuse
Mental illness is a serious problem, but far too many people suffering from it try to make it their partner’s problem.
“If someone has mental health issues, it’s no justification for abuse,” shared one user.
People need to take responsibility for their own mental health. It’s not a partner’s job to do it for them.
“If it’s resulting in abuse and they refuse to get help for it…you can only do so much. It’s really up to them to want help,” said another.
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Source: Reddit