5 Reasons Not to Give Up on Someone You Love

The connections we form with others and the relationships we develop over time can bring us many joys. They give us someone to share a laugh with, someone to watch that new horror movie you’re too scared to watch alone, and even just someone to enjoy each other’s presence with during life’s quiet moments. As beautiful as relationships can be, they also come with their not-so proud moments. From hurt feelings, misunderstandings, and all the way to periods of abruptly ended contact with someone, how can we know if a relationship is worth saving or not? When it comes to deciding whether or not to give up on a loved one and where to draw the line, there’s not always a clear, easy answer that comes to mind because making such a decision takes careful consideration. However, here at Psych2Go, we hope to at least help give you an idea of what the right choice for your relationship might be. That said, here are 5 reasons not to give up on someone you love:

1. Relationships Aren’t Meant to Be All Rainbows & Sunshine

Growing up, you may have read those sweet, well-known fairy tales where a prince marries a princess and, ending with a line some of us find all too familiar—they live happily ever after. While this phrase does hold true in these fiction stories, it can be easily misinterpreted. This is because to many of us, living “happily ever after” might mean being in a relationship where affection never falters, with arguments, misunderstandings, and hurt feelings found nowhere in sight. Although this can be how television and social media portrays love, it’s nothing but an illusion that gives us unrealistic standards as to what love really is. Genuine love is choosing to love someone, even when it’s hard to at times, by sticking around “in sickness and in health”.

2. No One is Perfect

Another reason not to give up on someone you love is the fact that they’re not perfect. It’s impossible to meet someone who’ll never disappoint or hurt you, which is why it’s important not to hold your parent, sibling, best friend, or significant other to such a high, unrealistic standard. Your loved ones are bound to act in ways you don’t like at times, which is very much possible even when they do so unintentionally. This is why love, forgiveness, and mutual understanding all go hand-in-hand in any relationship. It’s also important to keep in mind that just as our loved ones aren’t perfect, the same goes for us; we’ve all also made our own mistakes that have surely hurt the people we care about. But, when genuine love is present in a relationship, forgiveness is able to follow afterwards. While the inevitability of our loved ones disappointing and hurting us definitely aren’t things we look forward to, it shouldn’t discourage you from forming bonds with others, as these are just hurdles meant to be jumped.

3. Conflicts Are Bound to Happen

Conflict is one of the greatest testers of love. When we’re going through a stressful time with someone, leaving can sometimes seem like the easy way out. This is because when we’re in distress, it’s natural to want to get away from whatever it is that’s making us feel that way. However, when it comes to relationships, our immediate reaction to conflict shouldn’t be to cut ties or leave. If this were the case, all the relationships we’ve ever formed would be shallow and temporary. As long as you and a loved one are both willing to compromise during times of conflict by listening, communicating, and changing your ways for each other, that’s a good reason not to give up on them. However, if a partner isn’t willing to or capable of putting in reciprocated effort towards making amends, that’s a good indicator the relationship isn’t worth saving for the sake of your mental well being.

4. Situations Can Change

In relationships and throughout life as well, situations do change, and not always for the worse. Just because you and someone you love may be going through a rough patch, this doesn’t mean the situation can’t improve. But, that also isn’t to say that solutions come easy; for this to happen, both people in the relationship need to be patient, mature, understanding, and open-minded. And, most importantly, both also need to be hopeful. It’s easy for negative emotions to cloud our logic, which can cause us to anticipate the worst outcomes during hard times. In doing so, you stray further away from reaching any kind of improvement by only focusing on the negatives. So, maintaining perseverance and hopefulness even as you and a loved one face conflict is important because if you both truly love each other, the unwavering and ultimate goal is to make it through the storm together.

5. You Don’t Want to Give Up

Lastly, another reason not to give up on someone you love is if you don’t want to. As simple as a sign it may be, it often times proves to be hard to accept and heed, since constant doubts and uncertainty regarding what’ll happen next to your troubled relationship can easily override it. Even if you aren’t completely certain you want to remain by someone’s side, it’s important to still listen to and consider your inner thoughts and feelings. Compared to nothing, even just the smallest ounce of hope and determination are more than capable of getting through a rough time with a loved one.

As always, you should make decisions based on logic and what you think would be best for you—not only in the moment, but for the long-term as well. Is working things out with your loved one possible? Would doing so strengthen your relationship, or would distance between you two be beneficial? When answering these questions, remember to do so with careful thinking, rather than how you feel in the heat of a moment. Did you find this article helpful? Let us know in the comments below.

References

Grant, Eva Taylor. “10 Signs Your Partner Will Get Better With Age.” Bustle, 19 Mar. 2019, https://www.bustle.com/p/10-signs-your-partner-will-get-better-with-age-16964319. Accessed 21 February 2021.

Meyer, Scarlet. “10 Signs That It’s Not Time to Give up on Your Relationship Yet.” HelloGiggles, 17 Feb. 2017, 8:38 AM, hellogiggles.com/love-sex/relationships/10-signs-not-time-give-relationship-yet/. Accessed 21 February 2021.

Staik, Athena. “Reasons Not to Give Up On Someone You Love (Who’s Acting In Hurtful Ways).” Psych Central, 31 Aug. 2013, psychcentral.com/blog/relationships/2013/08/reasons-not-to-give-up-on-someone-you-love-whos-acting-in-hurtful-ways#2. Accessed 21 February 2021.