23 Things I Learned After Leaving A Toxic Relationship Behind

1. Love enough isn’t enough to make a person want to stay with you.

2. Words are simply just words if they aren’t backed up with actions. Just because he says he wants a future with you, it doesn’t mean anything unless he proves otherwise.

3. Don’t ever sacrifice your morals and values for a relationship to last, because you will eventually lose yourself in the process.

4. There is already something wrong with the relationship if it feels like a one-sided, draining, unhealthy relationship.

5. Always, always trust your gut, ladies. If there’s a ‘but’ it’s probably your gut.

6. If your family and friends don’t necessarily hate him but they don’t like him either, re-evaluate your relationship. They clearly see something that you don’t.

7. If you’re sacrificing your beliefs and morals for a relationship to last, you are with the wrong person.

8. If you feel this constant anxiety whenever you’re apart, it’s probably your gut telling you something. Or there’s something about them that you don’t trust.

9. Don’t be with someone that doesn’t see the value of family. Someone who has a strong relationship with their family will treat you with the same amount of respect.

10. It’s the constant high of emotions of arguments, yelling and making up that keeps us grounded on that relationship, even if it was toxic in every possible way

11. You can’t fall in love with potential, or the idea of someone. In the same sense, you can’t cling to the relationship in the hopes of making them a better person or in helping them realize how to treat you better. They should have to realize that on their own, or else walk away as fast as you can.

12. How people act after the breakup tells you so much about who they really are. If they acted like a completely selfish and arrogant jackass, then he probably is. You dated an asshole, now you can move on and just laugh about it years from now.

13. You have to question your relationship every once in a while. Don’t just follow your heart blindly. You’re dating this person with the intent of marriage. Is this someone you see a future with? If you had a son and he had the same qualities as him, would you be proud? Does he treat the world kindly? Does he constantly know how to understand you, even when times are rough? Does he have the same values and beliefs as you and if not, is he willing to compromise? Evaluate because when you’re married to the wrong person, there’s no going back.

14. If you see a red flag immediately when you’re dating this person, don’t have it in your head that you can change him. Run, as fast as you can, and don’t ever look back.

15. A person’s temper also says a lot about them. Watch carefully.

16. Opposites don’t always attract in the long run.

17. Sometimes, you don’t realize it, but sex can blind you into thinking that your relationship was perfect.

18. You don’t have to pretend to be okay with things you clearly aren’t. Your feelings are valid and he doesn’t control you.

19. If you constantly have to defend him in front of your friends and family, he’s not the one for you.

20. Don’t let some boy make you the worst possible version of yourself and make you give up on your dreams.

21. After a toxic relationship breakup, you will literally feel lost. You feel this panic in your heart that after you’ve sacrificed your entire heart to someone, they’re just gone and it hurts to breathe and you want to come running back to him. Don’t you dare.

22. After some time, you realize that the breakup was the best thing to ever happen to you and you laugh at the stupidity you spend chasing after someone that treated you like shit.

23. It’s gonna take a while to heal from the toxic relationship you were just in, but you’ll find yourself never settling for less in your next relationship. You’ll realize how much he destroyed you because when a good guy comes along, you will actually believe that it’s too good to be true. You’ll even find yourself thinking that you don’t deserve this. Don’t push him away, even if every fiber of your being is telling you to do so. If anyone, you of all people deserve a love that feels too good to be true. You deserve a good guy that has the purest of intentions in treating you right and don’t let some toxic relationship in the past tell you otherwise.