Use Increased Self-Respect to Improve Your Relationship
Edited by Donna, Eng
The Benefits of Increased Self-Respect On Your Relationship
[[Image:hear_70699.jpg|center|frame|Self-respect leads to mutual respect and a better relationship.]
If you don't respect yourself, then others won't either. This principle also applies to your relationship, because how much someone values you is often a reflection of your self-worth. There is nothing selfish about putting your needs first, even if others tell you that self-care is egotistical or vain. It is natural, pragmatic and psychologically healthy to put yourself first. The fact that you have high self-esteem will make your partner love you, respect you and perceive your time together as precious.
The benefits of increased self-respect on your relationship include:
- Attracting loving behavior from your partner, who admires your high opinion of yourself and attention to self-care
- A relationship that is based on equality rather than people pleasing or conditions that is less than fair
- More affection, romance and sex, as people who have self-respect are better groomed than those with low self-worth
- Less of a tendency to be manipulated by a partner who does not respect your time or goals
- Being taken more seriously by your partner, who knows that you respect yourself enough to leave the relationship if it is not working for you
Signs That You Have Lost Your Self-Respect In a Relationship
Here the signs that a relationship is causing you to lose your sense of self-worth. If you are having any of these experiences, it is time to take steps needed to regain your self-respect.
- 1This is a sure sign that you need to work on your self-respect because it means that the relationship has become codependent, with one partner (you) constantly trying to prevent the other from leaving by bending over backward for him and her. In this scenario, nothing you do is good enough and you accept being told so, with no regard for your own needs as a human being.You don't feel like you and your partner are equals.
- 2In this scenario, your status has been diminished to the point that you are not even treated like a mature adult. The fact that you are treated like someone who can't take care of yourself, or even like a baby might seem cute at first, but it is ultimately very damaging to your self-esteem.You feel like a child and the partner is your parent.
- 3Your partner does not even respect you enough to ask your opinion as to what should happen in the future. He or she makes all the decisions while you are just forced to go along with what he or she says. If you do try to voice your opinion, it is ignored or not heard, because it is not valued.You have no say about what happens in your relationship.
- 4Every time you voice your intentions, dreams or life plans you are ignored or even scoffed at. This causes you to feel despair and the distress you are in can affect every other aspect of your existence, from your grooming to your sex-life to your ability to be in a positive and productive mood.You are deeply discouraged by the fact that your partner does not take you seriously.
- 5People who feel neglected in a relationship cannot help but feel a low sense of self-worth. They often also feel insecure sexually and fear that their partner might be cheating on them.You see no point in dressing up or looking sexy because you have not had any romance or intimacy from your partner in months.
- 6People with a low sense of self-worth try to find it by willingly taking on the issues of others, with the irony being that the person they are trying to help respects them even less than ever.You feel burdened with your partner's problems and feel like your partner will be offended if you do not solve them.
Steps to Increasing Your Self-Respect and Improving Your Relationship
Increasing your self-respect can take time, especially if you were raised or recently conditioned to believe that you are worthless, unattractive or stupid person.
Here are some ways to improve your relationship by increasing your self-respect to achieve better self-esteem.
- 1The point of this exercise is to counteract all of the negative feedback that you might have been getting from your partner about your self-worth. This exercise also helps to counteract any negative babble from any inner critic that you might have that tells you that you do not deserve better than what you have now.Sit down and make a list of one hundred things that are absolutely great about being you.
Tips and Tricks
- If you have been suffering from low self-worth for a long time, expect some rebellion from your partner, and also those around you, who may have benefited from your need to please and insecurity
- Putting your own needs first is not selfish or egotistical, it shows personal strength and a desire to nurture and be trusted
- If you genuinely feel that, your partner thinks that he or she is better than you, than leave the relationship
- If you're partner is putting you down in front of others, the thing to do is leave the relationship as the more you try to improve your relationship, the worst this can get
- If your partner resists your attempts to increase your self-esteem by making fun o you or making you feel dumb or stupid
- If you had high self-esteem at the beginning of a relationship and now feel worthless, because of something that your partner continues to do or say, then it is time to leave the relationship
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.