Should You Stay Or Should You Go?
Many people have asked themselves, "Should I stay or should I go?" Obviously for one to ask themself this question, there has to be problems. But are they serious enough to end the relationship over? Are they being overreacted to? There are a lot of factors here. Some people expect relationships to be all flowers and romance and are ready to throw in the towel when a problem arises while others have a hard time standing up for themselves.
Choosing whether to end a relationship or not is a difficult decision. Many people trying to make this decision often ask themselves the what-if questions.
"What if I end it and regret it later?" "What if I am just over reacting to stuff?" "What if this is the best I can do?"
Fear of regretting ending the relationship later is a poor reason to stay in a relationship. I stayed in a horrible, horrible relationship partly for fear I would regret my decision later. Turns out, I regretted the decision to stay in the relationship and would much rather question myself for ending a relationship, than wasting years in it and regretting all the time wasted in a bad relationship.
If you are not sure if you are overreacting to a situation(s), there are things you can do. For one, give it time. As soon as something happens, we may be infuriated at it. Then a month later, we are embarrassed that we made such a big deal over it and a year later, we can't even remember it. However if a lot of time passes and you still feel the same way (or worse) then you know you are not overreacting.
Another thing you can do is to write down what is bothering you. Sometimes things will sound horrible in our mind, but written down, it looks silly. You could also ask various friends and relatives you trust their opinion, but this may or may not be of help, since people's opinions vary and they are not in your situation. Be sure they do not try to force their opinions on you. It can really help to let things off of your chest and to get moral support. Just don't let them make any decisions for you.
Yet another thing you can do is to try and change your perspective. Look at things in different views. Try to look at things in your partners view. Would you feel different. Then pretend it is your friend who is having the problems and asking you for advice. What would you say? Next look at things from 5 years in the future.
Once the relationship deteriorates to a certain point, it is time to leave, no matter how painful it is. Here are some instances where it is best to leave rather than continue suffering.
- If you are being abused
- If you are in fear of your life
- If your partner is supposed to support you and the family, but they choose to be unemployed or very under employed. Having a difficult time finding employment is one thing, being disabled is one thing, but choosing not to work hard and support the family is quite another.
- If you are regularly talked down to or insulted.
- If the way you have been treated has pushed you into a deep depression and you feel worthless about yourself.
- If you have developed feelings of hate against your partner.
If you feel there is still hope and want to work things out, the best things to do are:
- Get individual counseling and later possibly couples counseling
- COMMUNICATE with your partner. Lack of communication leads to a lot of misjudgments and misunderstandings. Don't be mean or harsh when communicating. Be open, clear, and calm.
- Do nice things for your partner. Start the cycle of spreading good feelings, actions, and words.
Only you can decide if you should leave or not. You can always listen to advice, but you should always be the one making the decision. It's your life after all. It's a difficult decision, so don't feel rushed in making any decisions. It may take time, but eventually you will know the right decision to make.