No matter how deep and satisfying your lovin’ feeling can be, your relationship with your partner may not be so unconditional and fair – sometimes the flow runs only in one direction, and one person gives their all without receiving the same kind of treatment. This is known as a one-sided relationship, and below you can find a description of it and how it affects both parties involved.
What is a one-sided relationship?
A relationship that is termed as one-sided is an unbalanced one lacking all-important reciprocity. It is embodied in the fact that in this kind of relationship, one individual puts in a greater amount of emotions, energy, and effort compared to the other. Sometimes even the financial input is highly unequal.
Although it might feel all right at the first stages, it can become emotionally and spiritually unnerving later. Without an emotionally charged bond, your one-sided relationship cannot bestow on you all the richness that a proper relationship carries.
As one partner invests as much as they can and gets no relationship-nurturing response, they start to feel overwhelmed. Moreover, it begins to dawn on them that their relationship remains stagnant and doesn’t evolve as it should.
Signs if a one-sided relationship
In order to detect a one-sided relationship, you should be on the lookout for certain symptoms listed below:
It is the same partner that arranges most of the activities and events
Meanwhile, the other partner doesn’t activate the contact so often. You feel that it’s up to you to set the ball rolling, plan mutual outings, and arrange parties – practically all your activities together require your initiative and organization.
When the time comes to make relationship decisions, you know that you have to do it
A decision is imminent, but your partner pretends it is nothing special or just says they agree with any decision in advance. They are indifferent to the outcome. So the responsibility is all yours, you don’t feel any input from your special one, and if asked about their contribution, you don’t know what to answer.
When there’s a need to apologize, it’s always you who does it
When a conflict breaks out, or a violent argument is on, you find that your precious one hardly ever assumes responsibility for what they said or did. They also don’t hurry to take any measures to mend the situation. It leaves you alone to patch it up and offer your apologies.
There’s always the process of second-guessing going on
Everyone has questions that arise in their minds on a regular basis. About being clever, pretty, and entertaining enough for the other. Now you find yourself beset by such questions so frequently they almost grow painful. It means you want to be liked and accepted and omit the crucial point of being yourself so that they can communicate with the person you really are.
Making the partner satisfied requires a string of personal sacrifices
One partner always has to mind that the relationship ought to grow, and the process of fostering it begins to get over personal needs and longings.
You have to explain your partner’s behavior to everyone
So you feel obliged to explain away and offer excuses for your partner’s behavior in many situations with many different people? Then it seems they behave not quite up to the mark. If you are pressed to find excuses for them so often, maybe you should start to worry about your relationship.
There’s a constant sensation of doubt about your standing with the partner
While you realize your partner is more indifferent, effortless, and uncaring, you begin to question your standing in the relationship as well as their commitment and their plans for the future.
The relationship often leaves you spent
You won’t fail to discover that a one-sided relationship is taking it out of you – emotionally, but sometimes physically as well. In this case, when your partner drops out for a while (even simply having to stay at work after hours) you cannot but feel relief surging in. This occurs because a misbalanced relationship generates a lot of tension that is bound to accumulate.
Faulty communication
As you express your views, you notice you don’t get the attention you deserve. Your special one doesn’t seem to care or remember what you said. Sometimes communication seems devoid of purpose.
Decision-making and responsibility are not divided fairly
Accepted, there are good decision-takers, and decisions seem to be their province from the start. Yet it doesn’t follow that others should steer clear of deciding altogether. If the staple reply is that the issue is immaterial, maybe it is worth your while to insist that it really is! Involving your partner in contemplating a current issue creates a stronger bond and a deeper understanding.
No boundaries ever go down well with them
There is hardly any sound relationship that has no boundaries at all. Boundaries serve to alleviate possible miscommunication and conflicts. Suppose you have discovered that you need a set of new boundaries – if the other person reacts adversely, flares up, and raises Cain, it doesn’t mean you are in the wrong but can indicate that your decision is quite apposite.
Not taking part in building budget
So it’s up to you to foot all the bills for your home and facilities. Besides, now and then, your partner asks you to cover their expenses. If anything is ever one-sided, this is.
You want things to change, but they never do
Oftentimes, in every relationship, there are things that the partner(s) would like to be different. Time after time one or the other raises the issue – and where does it lead? People will never change just because somebody asks them to, even if this somebody is close to them. To effect real changes the individual has to want it and initiate the process; otherwise, changes can be due to coercion or manipulation, and these are injurious things.
If yours is a one-sided relationship, practically every facet of it will be lopsided – one person decides and the other follows. This can be evident even when people have just begun dating, or when they are friends not ready to develop their relationship.
