5. You’ve become a better person since they’ve entered your life.
While it sounds rather obvious, there are relationships that bring toxic factors into our lives and make us a worse person than we were before. If you were someone who was outgoing, social, bubbly, and personable, but you’ve entered a controlling relationship where your partner wants you to always be with them and no one else, you lose who you were and you change for the negative. You no longer have your own life and see your friends and family–unless, of course, your partner is there–and this makes you become someone who can no longer function on their own. In retrospect, that’s unhealthy. Maybe your partner is into partying and brings unhealthy habits into your world you would have never really tried on your own. There are tons of ways someone can hinder your growth and make you feel “stuck.” You shouldn’t want to be with someone long-term unless they bring out a better version of who you already are. They magnify your strengths, they make you feel good about your weaknesses, they bring forth the true version of who you are.
6. You feel comfortable being independent, outside of the relationship.
When it comes down to your future, you need to be happy. No one is going to make sure that you are happy but you. Even the person you are with, they’re not 100% responsible for your happiness, you are. You need to be comfortable with your life not only in your relationship but outside of it as well. Are you still finding ways to better yourself without your partner? Do you have your own friendships and relationships that don’t involve them? Do you have hobbies you do just for you? When we get serious with someone, we often times suffocate ourselves in this bubble of romance we neglect to remember we need to nurture ourselves as individuals, too.
7. You feel unconditionally loved and appreciated.
Whoever you decide to spend your life with should love you in the fullest extent of the word. You should always feel as though you know they love you and never have to question it. If you are uneasy and unsure if they are true to their word, if they really feel the same way or want the same things as you–it’s going to eat away at you year after year. It goes along with the trust aspect of any relationship, you have to be comfortable in the notion that this relationship is a solid foundation to build a life on. If you are constantly questioning whether or not this person appreciates you and loves you, it’s never going to be solid. You wouldn’t build a house with unsafe tools, don’t build a life on uncertainty.