Being in a relationship requires you to be trusting of the other person, but sometimes, you may not realize that your partner is taking advantage of you. That’s because it’s quite difficult to believe that someone that you trust and believe in is deceiving you in order to get the best of a situation. But in the end, any manipulation on your partner’s part creates a destructive relationship that isn’t going to last long. Instead of accepting their terrible treatment, here are five strategies you can use to deal with a manipulative spouse.
- Listen To Your Inner Voice
It can be extremely difficult to listen to your inner voice that’s telling you something is wrong. If you start to feel uncomfortable around your partner’s behaviour, it might be time to start paying attention and consider whether this relationship is really right for you. Of course, if their behaviour starts to become aggressive to the point that you feel like you might be in danger, then you may want to consider talking to Divorce lawyers in Melbourne.
- Setting Boundaries
If you notice that your partner is trying to exercise power to take your choices away, then it might be time to become more assertive. Communicate the choices you want to be able to make for yourself and set boundaries that they should respect. Retain your ability to speak for yourself and let it be known that you still have decision-making authority in the relationship.
- Don’t Give In To Emotional Responses
It can be very easy to miss when your partner is emotionally manipulating you. Demonstrate to your partner the differences between being more concrete and being emotional. Don’t get drawn in by their emotions and choose, instead, to be more clean in your response to your partner. Communicate your expectations clearly, and they’ll have fewer chances to start up the whirlwind of emotions that is meant to draw you in.
- Keep Your Values Known
Your partner might be trying to impose their values and beliefs onto you to replace your own. When you notice this happening, especially if those values and beliefs don’t align with your own, then you should clearly communicate your discomfort about this. When you start compromising your values, then your mental and emotional health can start to take a toll, which will definitely impinge on the health of your relationship.
- Seeking Outside Help
If you’ve taken all of the above steps and you find that your partner is still acting the same way, don’t be afraid to seek professional help. Having a neutral third party to see the problems and help you through them could be the best grounds you both need to start repairing your relationship. On the other hand, the professional help you could need at this point could be in the form of an attorney.
No one wants to prematurely end a relationship before they’ve tried anything and everything. But at some point, if nothing is changing, then you can’t keep holding onto something that is bringing you extreme pain. Seek the professional opinion of a divorce attorney as soon as you deem it fit to bring your current relationship to an end.