The inevitability and likelihood of suffering heartbreak in a relationship calls for taking precautions to guard your heart against unforeseen circumstance. Relationship is tricky, it can fleet away when we least expect it. Therefore, it becomes imperative to take some steps and actions to protect your heart against possible heartbreak.
Here I’m going to share with you tips I gathered from my own relationship experiences and as a relationship therapist, which will help you protect yourself from any emotional hurt arising from possible heartbreak. Let’s get started.
Ways to Protect Your Heart in a Relationship
1. Define Your Expectations
Defining what you want in a relationship is one of the major ways to protect your heart against heartbreak. When you know what you want in a relationship and define them, it will help you find someone who share the same goals and values with you, which will undoubtedly protect your heart from heartbreak. This is because finding such a person will encourage commitment which will always remains when love emotion is gone.
Communicate effectively at the early stage to find out what your potential partner’s expectations are to be sure they align with yours before you can take the relationship further.
If you want to settle down, for instance, define it and talk to your partner about it and if the person is not ready to settle down, let it go. Don’t try to force it; it will not work. Forcing it to work maybe be setting yourself up for possible heartbreak.
2. Cultivate Self-love
Loving yourself first is another crucial way to protect your heart in a relationship. When you cultivate self-love and know your worth, you determine how you should be treated by others. Loving yourself makes you less vulnerable to bad and hurtful behavior from others who maybe poised to treat you like like trash.
Self-love enables you to prioritize your happiness and know what treatment to accept from others. On the other hand, when you have self-worth and self-love, you send a message across how you should be treated by others. People tend to love and respect those who know their worth and set boundaries.
Importantly, loving yourself also makes you loving because you tend to treat others the way you would love to be treated. People who suffer abuse and hate tend to develop hatred towards others. They’re frustrated and because they’re like that, they can’t give others which they don’t have.
From the foregoing, you can see that practicing self-love is a sure way to guard your heart against possible heartbreak.
3. Don’t Rush Things
Taking your time to study and know more about the person you want to go into relationship with will not only save you from heartbreak, but also will save you time and resources. Rushing into a relationship with someone you just met because of emotional connection is a sure way of setting yourself up for disappointment.
It’s true that our emotions may tempt us into rushing into a relationship with people, it’s wise you restrain yourself and tame your emotion to be reasonable.
Take time to know whether your goals, values and morals match with the potential partner before you can go deep into the relationship. Applying this important tip will protect your heart from possible hurt.
4. Do Not Ignore Relationship Red Flags
Relationship red flags are those warning signs which reveals undesirable circumstances. In a relationship, consciously and unconsciously people may reveal who they’re and their intentions but we are oftentimes blinded by emotions. Sometimes our intuition and feelings may let us see those signs but we may choose to neglect them and still go into it and by so doing, setting ourselves up for ugly eventuality.
For instance, your potential partner may lie to you or physically or emotionally abuse you and you know this is not what you, yet ignore them. They may come back to apologize and claim it was unintentional. They have shown you that they’re liars, physical or emotional abuser, it will be a wise decision to end it immediately. Those are red flags that shouldn’t be ignored. Remember, if God shows you signs and you chose to ignore it, you will certainly see wonders.
5. Drop Your Unrealistic Expectations
Some people set up unrealistic expectations in their minds and set themselves up for possible heartbreak. If you want to protect your heart against undesirable circumstances in a relationship, drop your unrealistic expectations. For instance, going into a relationship with the expectation that your partner will treat you like your family members such as your mother or father, or that your present partner will be like your ex-lover, is surely plotting against your own happiness. This is fantasy. It’s not realistic. Nobody can treat you like the person in your world of imagination. Be realistic and enjoy the peace that comes with living in reality.
6. Listen Actively to Your Partner
To protect your heart against hurt in a relationship, it’s crucial to listen attentively to your partner whenever their express their needs and thoughts. Pay close attention to your partner and take everything they say seriously, especially in the early stage. At that stage, they may consciously or unconsciously reveal what they want or intention. They know themselves better and whatever they say is who they are.
The person you are dating, for instance, may tell you that they don’t want to marry or have babies. Don’t take this for granted, see it as who they are. Trying to change their minds might be an effort in futility. So, end the relationship immediately to avoid disappointment.
7. Communicate Your Needs and Thought
Openly and honestly communicate your need and thought with your partner, because if you don’t, it will be difficult for them to understand your needs and thoughts. Nobody is a mind reader. In a relationship, you must be eager to express your needs and thought so that your partner will know how to treat you. Expressing your needs will also help to eliminate conflict which is capable of hurting your heart.
Read Here: 10 Effective Ways to Communicate in a Your Relationship
8. Do Not live in Isolation
One of the essential way to protect your heart in a relationship is to stay connected with your family and friends. Sometimes we maybe tempted to stay away from friends and family and enjoy our relationship, but such temptation must be resisted. Staying connected with your friends and family, sharing with them what is happening in your life will offer you an opportunity to access advise that can help you, including in protecting your heart.
While it’s good you enjoy your autonomy with your partner, it’s crucial to stay close and connected with your family and friends to protect your heart against heartbreak. Staying connected with them would help distract your total emotional dependency on your partner, which can help you should anything happens to the relationship.
9. Don’t Forget Who You Are
Don’t lose yourself because you found a new relationship. Sometimes our feelings may make us lose the sense of who we are, trying to please our partner. It is wrong to do so. Stay true to who you are and let your partner accept you for who you are.
Changing your likes or accepting what you don’t like in a relationship may make you doubt your personality if the relationship ends which will may affect your mental health.
While it’s good to make adjustment in a relationship to accommodate your partner’s, it is important you do that while remaining who you are.
10. Don’t Be Too Swift to Reveal Your Feelings To The Person You Are Dating
I understand how it feels when we found someone we are enamored with; we always feel the urge to pour out our emotion completely. But you resist the urge and tread with caution. Be slow in revealing your emotion, not matter how much you love the person.
Find out if the person you have feelings for feel the same way and will return the energy. This is important because some people like to misbehave when they realize that you have fallen head over heel in love with them. They begin to treat you anyhow they like because they know you will keep on loving them. To protect your mental health, you must be slow in revealing your feelings and be sure that the person you are loving feels the same way as you do.
Conclusion
Knowing how to protect your heart in a relationship is crucial for your happiness and mental well-being. The uncertainty and inevitability of heartbreak in a relationship makes it imperative that you must acquire some skills to guard your heart from any possibility negative outcome. Loving yourself, taking time to know who you are dating, defining your expectations and more in a relationship are essential tips that can help you protect your heart against heartbreak which may arise from a relationship.
