Everyone wants a healthy relationship. That’s the point of having a partner in the first place. They’re there to help you grow and support you throughout all the challenges life throws at you. Sure, there may be some incidence of miscommunication which may lead to arguments. That’s part of it. But where do you draw the line? Why is it always your fault? Well, you might be in a relationship with a narcissist.

Your partner is extremely arrogant and vain. Narcissists tend to believe that they are special. Out of 7 billion people in the world, they believe that they’re unique in some way. To put it simply, they believe that they’re just “built different”. Furthermore, their belief that they are special makes them think that they can only be understood by people whom they consider as “special”. They would want to associate only with people of high status (social climber much?).

They are very entitled. Since they believe they are special, narcissists tend to expect special treatment from people. They believe that whatever they want, they will get. If they have a request, you must do it or else they brand you as selfish. To make things worse, they might even get aggressive if you don’t grant their demands.

They have a delusion of grandeur. Delusion of grandeur is a false belief in one’s importance. They often overestimate their importance and may even state that they are destined for greatness. Heck, they may even think that they could solve all of the world’s problems!

They need constant praise and attention. Narcissists are like cars and praise and attention are their fuel. They would go out of their way to fish for the smallest compliment they could get. When they run out of their fuel, they might get irritated and their mood would be off for who knows how long.

EVERYONE STINKS EXCEPT THEM. Narcissists' sense of superiority makes them think that they are better than everyone else. Have you ever showed them a video of an artist you really like and they’re like “Eh, it’s not really that good. I can do better. Just give me time to practice”. It may appear that they are just being snobby and hard to impress but in reality, they just don’t like seeing someone better than them. They always find ways to belittle people to make themselves look better or above everyone else.

THEY ARE MANIPULATIVE.  Among the negative traits of a narcissist, this one is the most dangerous. This is dangerous mentally as it may leave you traumatized and in need of therapy. The thing that enables them to do it is their charm. Since they are so self-absorbed, they are also beaming with confidence which makes them more appealing to people. As a result, they can take advantage of people with such ease. And to make matters worse, they do this without feeling guilt or remorse! They lack empathy so they are not able to identify with the feelings of other people.

If you can spot these signs in your partner, then maybe it's time to re-evaluate the relationship. Maybe it’s time to ask yourself if you’re really happy with the relationship or are just being manipulated into thinking that you are.

If you are single, then this can apply to you as well. Now that you are informed on what to look out for, you can now easily spot those dang red flags and avoid them. 

It never hurt to set healthy boundaries, especially in a relationship. Granted, it may make your partner upset sometimes but if they really love you and they’re not a narcissist then they would understand. At the end of the day, it's all about the compromise.