Choosing whether to stay or leave a romantic relationship can be very stressful. There may be shared property, shared pets, or children that can influence a decision to leave. Similarly, if a person’s financial stability is reliant on the other person, they may be more inclined to stay in a relationship that is unsatisfying.

While being in a relationship can be a very rewarding experience for many, we have to be able to discern whether the relationship is supportive to our growth (or stifling it). We also have to be able to differentiate between common relationship difficulties that can be treated such as the romantic spark fading or communication breakdowns, versus more serious red flags where the relationship should end.

For anyone who is involved with a narcissistic partner, they can relate to feeling a compulsion to be “perfect” for their partner. They may struggle with being body-shamed by their partner who gives looks of disapproval or disgust surrounding their partner’s body, style of dress, hairstyle, or other things in order to make their partner feel more insecure, and themselves feel superior.

More grandiose narcissists have limited tolerance for imperfection in their lives, as they expect both themselves and those they are with to be “perfect”. The reason is that human imperfection threatens their ego and fragile self-worth, triggering feeling worthless and a compulsion to regain their sense of........

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