Issues of trust in your relationship can negatively affect the bond that you have with your romantic partner. Trust is so important for a committed relationship that it is almost how we define a relationship.
A study of young adults who were dating found that ‘Young adults explained they would know that they were in a romantic partnership if they were in a committed relationship that was exclusive, and if they trusted their partner. The emphasis placed on these three characteristics showed that young adults strongly value these relationship characteristics.’
Your partner in your relationship should be your closest friend, someone you can say anything to without worrying about judgment. And your partner should be able to open up to you about anything.
If you’re reading this article, you might have picked up on some clues that your partner might not be telling you the whole truth. Maybe you see things that aren’t there, or perhaps you’re seeing one of these seven signs of trust issues in your relationship.
7 Signs of Trust Issues In Your Relationship
1. Lack of emotional attachment
Your partner has trust issues if they cannot open up to you emotionally or if they are not supportive of your emotions when you need them to be.
2. Something’s worrying you
We pick up on subtle cues throughout our day. These could be a strange word used in conversation, a blink or eye twitch, or defensive body language that strikes us in our gut as odd. Later, often, while we are preparing for sleep, we worry over these small details and wonder if the whole truth is being revealed when our partner talks to us.
3. Your partner is gone without explanation
Not that you would track their movements around, but when your partner goes places, they never share with you where they’ve gone, what friends they were with, or if anyone made a pass at them while they were out.
Your partner should give you the respect of giving you a brief description of their comings and goings without you while having to feel interrogated, and you should also feel able to be comfortable that they weren’t out having an affair.
Is this a trust issue on your part or your partner? Who isn’t trusting whom? This might be a relationship problem that requires the help of a licensed counselor to help you resolve things and open the lines of communication and trust.
4. Lack of support during crisis
The last time something terrible happened to you, your partner was not there by your side, lending emotional support. Or maybe you noticed that they brushed you off with a that’s terrible but never offered a shoulder to cry on, let alone any help.
Your partner should be your rock to rely on when you have a problem. They should have your back, but when you have trust issues in your relationship, your partner may try to pull away from becoming emotionally involved.
Your crisis is a time of high emotions, at least for you. For someone who can’t open their heart and trust, it’s time to withdraw rather than show emotion.
5. Your partner has broken someone’s trust before
Lack of trust is a type of fear. You or your partner may fear being emotionally hurt or hurt in other ways. When you trust someone with your heart, finances, etc., you are vulnerable to the potential that your partner may not act in your best interest.
If your partner has been a cheater before, it could be a pattern of behavior and a sign that you might still need to deal with trust issues. A cheater is capable of change, but only if they want to change the behavior.
6. You wish you had someone to talk to
Your partner should be THE person you are talking to about anything troubling you. The problem here is that, most likely, it is your partner’s behavior that is troubling you.
7. You’re making plans for what your next move is
Without trust in your relationship, you have probably already thought about how to find someone you can trust. Perhaps you confide in a trusted colleague at work, who you also find attractive.
Researchers in the Journal of Socio-Economics say, ‘Marriages are good when the spouses trust each other. If a wife loses trust in her husband (usually if she no longer believes he is acting unselfishly), she often files for divorce.’
Hopefully, you aren’t on the outs, but if there are significant trust issues, you may notice that your partner is spending more time caring for their appearance lately; new clothes, hairstyle, workout, etc. can all be signs that your mate is preparing to be back on the dating scene again.
Community
