When deciding if you should break up with a boyfriend, it’s important to consider three things: how the relationship is impacting you and your well-being, whether the issues can be resolved if both of you put in the effort, and whether you and your partner are actually willing to make the necessary changes.
According to licensed marriage therapist Weena Cullins, LCMFT, your overall well-being is probably the most important factor to consider. “While all intimate relationships are subject to experiencing rough patches at different times, choosing to remain in a relationship that consistently causes you stress or compromises your physical, emotional, or mental health isn’t the best choice,” she tells mbg.
While thinking through your decision, she recommends reaching out to trusted people in your life—like friends or family—to help you look at your situation from a more objective, third-party view. Sometimes outsiders looking in can see things more clearly.
Remember that either choice is valid: The decision to break up with someone, while sometimes painful, is an act of taking care of yourself and your needs. And on the flip side, the decision to stay doesn’t mean you can’t leave later on. So, give yourself some compassion and consider both options with an open mind.
