5 Signs You're in a Toxic Marriage

You are feeling unhappy all the time. A lot of people in a toxic relationship are living in denial. Admitting that something in your marriage is off is scary, so they push away negative thoughts. But however hard you try to suppress your true feelings and emotions, you won't succeed. They will inevitably find their way to the surface. So if everything is (seemingly) okay, but you find yourself crying for no particular reason and feeling sad all the time, there might be something wrong with your marriage.

You make a big deal out of small things. Even the smartest people make mistakes and do stupid things every now and then. In a healthy relationship, partners don't make a fuss over small mishaps and forgive each other. But couples that are stuck in a toxic marriage tend to blame each other for literally everything and make a bid deal out of something small. Do you often use or hear phrases that start with “You never...” or “You always...”? That's the first sign that your marriage is turning toxic.

Your feel trapped. A lot of people start spending less time with their friends once they get married because it is not easy to balance family, work, and social life. However, things should eventually even out. If they never did, there's something wrong with your marriage. Do you spend less time with your friends and family because it's your choice or because your spouse wants you to? If it's the latter, you're in an unhealthy relationship. A toxic spouse doesn't want you to talk to your family or friends and might even try to monitor your text messages, phone calls, online activity, etc.

You have no sex. For most couples, sexual intimacy is important (we're not talking about asexual people here, it's a totally different case). If you and your spouse used to have sex and now you don't, although you have time and are both healthy, you should start worrying. Maybe it's just a sex rut, it happens to most of the couples at some point in their relationship. But the lack of sex can be the sign of a deeper problem, especially if it is accompanied by the lack of any kind of intimacy, both physical and emotional.

You're in a codependent relationship. Codependency is a type of dysfunctional relationship where one person enables or supports another person's irresponsibility, immaturity, under-achievement, poor mental health, or addiction. Not all toxic relationships are codependent, but any codependent relationship is toxic. The marriage of co-dependent adults typically leads to a dysfunctional family, so you'd better break out of the vicious circle before it's too late, especially if you already have children.