The One Red Flag This Therapist Wants You To Watch Out For In Relationships

As with any relationship issue, communication is key, and the right person will respond well if you express that you feel there’s an imbalance. If they’re willing to work on it and follow through, that’s great—but if not, don’t stick around trying to force it.

“In the beginning, those red flags people ignore end up being big, big long-term issues in the relationship,” Nuñez explains. “That’s your time to leave and not make excuses.”

She adds that she sees many of her clients make excuses with phrases like “Yeah, but…” when they’re desperate to make it work. But this is when we wind up abandoning ourselves, she explains, “and if this is happening, it’s time to walk away.”

Of course, relationships will go through different stages, and there may be times when one partner has to lean on the other more than usual. But in the case of a consistent imbalance that leaves one person depleted, defeated, and dejected, that cannot and should not be ignored.

As Nuñez says, “Healthy relationships involve equal give and take and should add to our happiness, not take away from it.”