A person who specialises in marriages has shared one clear sign that means your relationship may be over.
Relationships are certainly not easy, there’s no denying that. And to be honest, there’s no rule book as to whether we are all doing it correctly.
Thankfully though, there are experts in the field that can provide some useful advice as to whether a relationship is destined to fail.
So, if you feel your relationship is heading nowhere, then you may want to listen to the advice of a marriage counselor.
On a Reddit thread titled ‘What screams ‘we are not going to last long’ for couples?’, one Redditor shared the comment a counselor once told them.
This sign may mean your relationship is over (Getty Stock Photo)
They said: “I was at a party one time and there was a marriage counselor there that had been working for 20-something years in couples counselling. I asked her what the number one sign was that the couple wasn’t going to make it. Without hesitating, she said, ‘If one person shows contempt for the other’s feelings, it’s over!’.”
There’s no doubt contempt is talked about a lot when it comes to relationships, and the inevitable downfall of them.
It’s a word that is thrown about an awful lot, but what exactly does it mean in terms of a relationship?
Sex and relationship researcher Kristen Mark told The Knot: “Mocking your partner, speaking to them with condescension, or using sarcasm for cruelty are all examples of contempt.”
The conversation has heated up on Reddit (Getty Stock Photo)
The conversation began flowing on Reddit, with many others getting involved in the debate.
One commenter summed it up: “This is a really well-documented one. Contempt is a dead giveaway. The moment you start ‘sneering’ or using incredulous sarcasm, you should consider it to be a red alert. My wife and I are doing fine these days, but a few of our worst fights have contained contempt.
“Unfortunately because we’d heard this guidance before, we realised we were in very dangerous territory and needed to take a really hard look at the root causes of what was p***ing us off at each other. Anger can be a natural reaction, as long as it doesn’t come with abuse.
“Contempt, however, is like black mould.”
Of course, there are many other red flags when it comes to relationships.
“When they post each other too much. I get the occasional picture together but when you full-on document every little thing it just comes across as wanting to prove your relationship to other people because you’re insecure,” the Reddit user added.