Do you feel that you are being taken for granted by your relationship?
Whether at work or in your personal life, people may take you for granted. It’s never a nice feeling, and it could seriously affect your mental well-being as well as your relationships. Check out these signs to find out if you are being taken for granted – and see how you can stop it from continuing:
1. You are putting more in than you are getting back
One of the key signs of being taken for granted is that you are expected to do all of the work in the relationship. It could be that you are asked to clean up after your partner, work your schedule around them, and do everything as they want it to be done, without any return.
You should feel like an equal in a relationship, not like a slave or a subordinate. If the problem is at work, you may be asked to take on extra tasks or work longer hours without any extra pay.
In these situations, it’s important to make your feelings known. Explain that the relationship is not balanced and that you are feeling unhappy.
If there are no improvements after this talk, make sure that they know how serious you are – that you would prefer to find another job or walk out of the relationship and not carry on this way.
Don’t make idle threats: be ready to do as you say if you make this statement.
2. You never say no
Do you feel as though you can never say ‘no’? If your partner or boss asks you to do something, you may do it right away, even when you don’t want to.
Again, you will not receive anything back for this – they are not willing to compromise or do anything for you in return. The big problem here is that they think you will always say yes, so you are an easy target.
Learn to say no. Next time they ask you to go out of your way for them, turn them down. Putting your foot down like this can improve the situation hugely. If they are upset that you would not carry out their demands, it’s an even bigger red flag, and a sign you need to stand up for yourself more.
3. Your only contact is demands
Does it feel like someone only contacts you when they need something? If you never get a social call, or you are never praised for the work you do, then you are being used and taken for granted.
It’s not acceptable to have a relationship with someone that is based on their demands alone. Don’t be the one to initiate conversations anymore – you will soon see whether there is any desire to actually communicate.
It could be that you can restore balance simply by forcing them to be the one to reach out once in a while. If not, it’s time to explain how you feel. If things don’t improve, there is no value in the relationship for you.
4. You are ignored
Does your partner ignore your presence until they need something? Are they more interested in their friends than you? Does your boss act as if you don’t exist until something goes wrong? You are definitely being taken advantage of if this is the case.
Make yourself notable by your absence. If you are not available, you will soon be missed. This is more difficult at work, but will certainly have an impact on a relationship.
Have you ever being taken for granted?
Share your experience in the comments – and let us know what did or didn’t work for you!
