Every relationship has its challenges.

But there are some relationships where the rewards are clearly one-sided. If your partner is being abusive, disloyal or simply not contributing anything to the household – and it’s making you unhappy – then it’s clearly an unhealthy relationship.

While some people find the strength to get out of these unhealthy relationships and build a better life for themselves, others stay trapped for their entire lives. Quite often, there are other motives for staying, but these are rarely ever sensible reasons. Here are just five common (and unhealthy) reasons people stay in a bad relationship.

Money

A lot of couples stay together because they’re better off financially. If you’re both contributing an income – or your partner is wealthy – you may find it hard sacrificing this to break up. Especially if it means not being able to afford the same lifestyle and possibly having to downsize to a smaller property (or even move back with your parents). Money can bring a certain degree of happiness. But in a good relationship it will bring you a much richer sense of joy. You shouldn’t have to endure emotional pain just to afford more expensive things.

Children

If you both have kids together, it can get very complicated. A lot of parents think that breaking up is the most terrible thing you can do for the children, but the truth is that many kids are able to enjoy happy upbringings with separated parents. Your kids will notice that you’re happier and you can still share out time and get on amicably with your partner so that you’re still able to do certain activities with the kids together as friends.

If you’re worried about breaking up because you think your partner is going to claim custody, you can always look into options such as a child custody lawyer. These hostile breakups should be avoided when possible, but life doesn’t always work out that way.

Fear of being alone

A big reason that people stay in an unhealthy relationship is the fear of being alone. Some people feel that they need someone else to complete them, when this is actually unhealthy – we should all be able to live independently.

Many people also forget that being single has its perks – it gives you complete freedom to chase your goals whether it’s travelling the world or getting that dream career. In a relationship, you can share out responsibilities and you have someone to support you, but you also have to make compromises.

Social stigma

If all your friends or work colleagues are in relationships, you may be afraid of the social stigma of suddenly being the one singleton in the group. However, doing something just because everyone else is doing it is unhealthy behavior. It’s far better being happier than socially accepted.  

The belief that ‘this is as good as it gets’

If you’ve had a long string of bad relationships, you may believe that there’s no good partner out there for you and that this is as good as it gets. While it’s true that you will never find the perfect partner, it’s important to know the difference between an imperfect partner and a bad partner. If you’re unhappy and you’ve tried multiple times to fix things and failed, this is not a good relationship for you.