Although there is a huge difference between being protective and being possessive, many people tend to confuse one for the other. A possessive partner might not be aware of his/her overbearing actions as they may think they are only being protective of you. And that is bad because it can be overwhelming, exhausting and oftentimes, even traumatic to be in a relationship where your every single move is monitored or questioned. You can’t hang out with your friends without getting hundreds of calls from your partner wanting to know where you are and exactly who you are with.
You are told how to dress, what to do with your hair and your life as a whole. At first, you may be flattered and even find it adorable to be at the receiving end of this attention and devotion. But with time, if left unexamined and unresolved, the relationship will have you feeling anxious, extremely unhappy and angry.
If you feel you are in a possessive relationship, you can handle your possessive partner in the following ways:
Express How You Feel About Their Behavior
It’s become almost cliché to say communication is very vital in any relationship but that doesn’t take away the fact that it really is. You can’t keep quiet about how your partner’s behavior makes you feel and expect everything to get better soon. Ask your partner to sit with you for a little talk when they are less busy and carefully point out the ways in which they are possessive to them. Let them know how these habits of theirs make you feel. Hopefully, they will listen and change for good.
Introduce Your Friends To Your Partner
When your partner is not that involved in your life, it is easy for him/her to get jealous when you say you are with one Mike or Rachael. Be open with your partner and find ways to make him/her meet your friends. Engaging in similar activities that will involve your friends and your partner’s friends once in a while may do your relationship good as well.
Be Vocal About Your Love
Professing feelings of love for someone doesn’t come easy for everyone. If you are the type of person that keeps how they feel to themselves, you may want to work on changing that. Your partner doesn’t have mind-reading supernatural powers, even if they do, it always feels great hearing someone express their feelings for you. You’d leave your partner guessing and unnecessarily jealous when they are not sure of your love for them. Although, that’s no excuse for them to dominate and control your life, getting vocal about your love could make a ton of difference.
Learn To Be Assertive (If you’re not)
You need to respect yourself first of all before expecting someone else to respect you. If you don’t know how to stand your ground in matters that affect you, you will make it easy for your partner to take you for granted. If you disagree with something, say so and stick it out unless you see good reasons to change your mind.
Get Out Of The Relationship
Sometimes, there is only so much you can do to fix a shaky relationship. If you’ve done all you can to make your partner less possessive and every day in the relationship still feels like torture, leaving the relationship may be a wise decision.
