How Can You Recognize the Signs of an Unhealthy or Controlling Relationship?

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a time to talk openly about what healthy relationships look like, and what it looks like when things aren't healthy. At Wellness for Our Future, we want people to feel equipped to recognize these patterns early, whether in their own relationship or someone else's.

Signs a Relationship May Be Unhealthy

Unhealthy relationship patterns don't always look dramatic. They often build gradually and can include:

• Constant check-ins or pressure to explain your whereabouts

• Being discouraged from spending time with friends or family

• Feeling like you're "walking on eggshells" to avoid upsetting your partner

• Criticism that chips away at your confidence over time

• Decisions about money, time, or daily life that are made for you rather than with you

When Control Becomes the Pattern

A relationship moves into concerning territory when one partner consistently controls the other's choices, relationships, or sense of self, not just occasionally, but as an ongoing pattern.

Why These Patterns Can Be Hard to See

Many people don't recognize these dynamics while they're inside them. Love, hope, and the belief that things will improve can make it hard to name what's happening. Cultural or family expectations around staying together can add another layer that makes leaving, or even acknowledging a problem, feel especially complicated. 

If This Feels Familiar

If any of this resonates, please know that support is available and you deserve to feel safe. Family therapy and individual counseling can help you process what you're experiencing and plan next steps at your own pace.

Crisis Resources

If you are in immediate danger, please contact emergency services. For additional support:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: Call 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788 (available 24/7)

You Deserve a Relationship That Feels Safe

Recognizing these patterns is the first step toward change, whatever that looks like for you. Contact us if you'd like support working through it. At Wellness for Our Future, our clinicians provide culturally responsive, evidence-based therapy in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, rooted in culture and understanding.

This is a sensitive topic. If you are personally navigating an unhealthy or unsafe relationship, the resources above are available to you, and you don't have to figure this out alone.

Wellness for Our Future

📞 Call us at (781) 817-3956

🌐 Visit www.wellnessfof.org

📧 Email us at inquiry@wellnessfof.org