Why do I compare everyone to my bad relationship?
138 Answers
Last Updated: 06/02/2022 at 4:59am
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Maria Wasielewski, Master of Arts in Counseling and Guidance, University of Arizona
Licensed Professional Counselor
I am inspired when working with clients, who are facing challenging life experiences, to be able to help them to develop the needed skills to live their best possible life!
Top Rated Answers
I do this as well even now in my new relationship, and it's not because I want to but I do it to be cautious and to also appreciate him for being different from my bad relationships. Our brain is designed to look for patterns from good and bad experiences so we can get out of situations. This is why we have gut feelings. So when we go into a relationship we analyze it because we want to make sure we don't go through that horrible thing again. It may also be all you know! For me I have never had a healthy relationship (except hopefully this one because that is what it seems like so far) so I compare to my bad relationships a lot because I have never experienced anything outside those toxic and abusive relationships therefore I'm almost out of my realm
Anonymous
September 25th, 2019 5:01am
I think you expected too much from your partner and your partner did not do so. It happens in everyone's life, what we gave don't get the same, also we always regret what we have chosen and always want to get the path that is not taken earlier. Please read THE ROAD NOT TAKEN and u will understand. What do we do, we just put our self in others relationship or we compare a person with whom we felt bad and our mind did not accept that person. What is needed to do? We have to b positive and calm while introducing with a new person, every fingers are not , never be same.
Anonymous
November 1st, 2019 10:08pm
I compare everyone to my bad relationships because I don’t want to get hurt again. I am so afraid to get crushed into a million pieces I have to not pick the people I can build with so I minimize my chances of being hurt again. Being hurt by someone you love is the worst. It tore me down to my bones and took everything from me. It took my love away for everything. I didn’t want to live anymore and I finally started to realize this isn’t how I want to be and I built myself up, I have a relationship with myself. I now trust myself and my judgements on others because I don’t want them to tear down what took me so long to build.
Anonymous
November 14th, 2019 3:46pm
Because we never forget bad things. We learn how to live with them. How to overcome those obstacles. I don’t think we reach to a point when the memory just disappear , but I do believe that we reach a point in our way where we learn how to handle it. You may be comparing everyone to your bad relationship because you’re scared to fail a gain, to be hurt again, to suffer. To fall in love with someone that will make you the same harm as the last person. Maybe you just have to give yourself time to heal from that, to realize how to live your live without living in the past.
It is in human nature to look around us for reference.
It's what causes a lot of feelings of shame on certain topics.
When dealing with a bad relationship it's important to stay honest with yourself and know the things others might display aren't always true.
sometimes people who are in a bad relationship will pretend everything is fine whilst in public. so when you are looking around for reference, take the things you see with a grain of salt.
it's not per say a bad thing to look around you when you are in a unhealthy relationship, it keeps your compass pointed north.
This is important so that your unhealthy relationship doesn't start to seem normal to you because the only thing worse than a bad relationship is blaming yourself for it.
Because it's the natural thing to do. We are fearful of experiencing a repeat of the bad relationship. When we trust someone and they hurt us, it takes time to move beyond that pain and trust another person. We do not want to relive that pain, so we are suspicious of the motives of the people we are in subsequent relationships with. Unfortunately, it takes the new partner demonstrating that they are not like the one who hurt us. We cannot take people at their word about certain things, and matters of the heart is one of those. Be patient with yourself. Sometimes it takes self-care to move beyond the bad relationship.
a bad relationship leaves us with some scars of insecurity due to the unpleasant experiences. There is a constant worry and fear of going through the same emotions and experiences again. This puts us on high alert and we tend to compare all with our bad relation to be sure of not repeating the last pattern. Sometimes , in the process, we tend to be over critical or judgmental or worried. Its all the survival instinct. With a loving support and awareness , we gradually gain confidence and higher self esteem and get past this with it . Its a process
Anonymous
February 16th, 2020 6:27am
It might have left you quite scarred and you brain always anticipates future in comparison to past events. Like when you touch something hot, next time you hesitate to even go anywhere near it. So the first evaluation method you opt for would be to compare something with you already faced, and often negative memories are stronger than positive ones. It could also be that you haven't totally accepted your relationship and are becoming more pessimistic in attempt to save yourself or others from getting hurt like you did. I hope this helps. Love, don't worry, everything will start making sense again. :)
Your previous, bad relationship had a large impact on you. It is hard to completely let that go and move forward, but part of processing what happened and what you went through is in that comparison. You are still hurting, potentially. And, a comparison is a big part of how we communicate and share experiences. Even if we don't altogether want to see similarities between a and b, they present themselves, anyway. The farther from the bad relationship you get, and the healthier relationships and development that you gain, the less this comparison will happen in the future. You just have to give it some time.
Anonymous
June 2nd, 2022 4:59am
Often, we find ourselves making comparisons because we care about what other people think, or see something we want (even though we might not have known we wanted it before seeing it). Take a step back and reassess. Remember, not a single soul is exactly like you and, as such, no relationship is the same. Opening your heart to a new relationship can be challenging if you haven’t moved on from your past. It’s especially difficult if you have a special connection to your ex and you’ve been through a lot together. Therefore, it’s essential to go through all stages of moving on to ensure that you’re open to a new relationship. Alas, no matter how hard you may try, it’s easy to get stuck in the memories of your past – to glorify your former boyfriend, even though you didn’t work out as a couple. You may go on a few dates, you may meet a bunch of men online and you may still feel just as strongly about your ex-boyfriend, which makes it impossible to let any new man in.
hello, Thanks for reaching out. I see how this is in your mind . There are many reasons why you might be feeling this way. You might be feeling like you wished you have a better relationship, and are seeking out how other people are in their relationship. This is a normal feeling and you shouldn't feel bad. Have you talked to your partner about how you feel? telling somebody you trust might make you feel like you arent alone in the matter. Never less, it's better not to compare relationship to other people because their case might be diffrent from yours. I suggest talking to your partner and see what you can do
Anonymous
January 27th, 2022 10:40am
It is not unusual for people to be cautious after certain incidents. I also used to compare my relationship with previous one that left me heartbroken for months. It is human nature to be cautious of something similar to what had scarred them. No one wants a repeat of what agony they had experienced earlier. Some even get so scared that they never attempt at the particular action again but it is great if there is only comparison with the previous experience. You don’t want to go through the same experience and are naturally on the look out for signs that your current relationship is heading the same path. There is nothing wrong with comparing to bad relationships, it just shouldn't affect you current relations.
Your bad relationship can really mess you up; It can distort your views on everyone and how you love them. Its a form of self preservation and precaution, its your mind being wary of everyone, so that you won't be hurt in the same way. A bad relationship can mess you up so badly that you start to involuntarily compare their traits to people in the present, to protect yourself. You start to see all their flaws in people in the present, even if they're not there. Its almost like a survival tactic.
It is easy to compare everything to your past relationships. I find myself comparing people as a protection mechanism that I need to break. I think that since I have gone through many bad relationships, the rest of them will not be good as well. It is important to look at these relationships as individuals because you would not want someone to compare you to another person they had a poor experience with. Not every relationship will be the same and I realized to recognize that everyone is an individual but also learn from the red flags that have been placed out there showing me to move on or reanalyze.
Thank you for reaching out!
You may compare everyone to your bad relationship because your focus is on your relationship and you want to improve it. Sometimes we lack in certain areas and we see everything from one small perspective. It’s easy to be critical of yourself and want elements of a relationship you feel you don’t have when you see those close to you talking about how happy they are with their significant other and what their significant other does for them. It may be vital to ask yourself what makes the relationships you aspire to follow so special compared to your existing relationship? Why do you not find your existing relationship with your significant other good?
Sometimes we want our relationships to be replicas of relationships we believe are healthy because people close to us express how satisfied they are with their own relationship. Comparisons in relationships can encourage us or make us set an aim to fix our bad relationship which can be a potential factor stressing you.
What makes a relationship healthy and unhealthy is something for you to explore. Everyone has their own ideas of what is healthy and unhealthy. Support organisations such as Relate and OneLoveFoundation provide support on relationship stress.
You are welcome to communicate with any one of our amazing listeners on our site 1-1.
Relationships are based on trust. When that trust is broken, emotionally and mentally we are left with feelings of self-doubt, confusion, hurt, anger, and insecurities. We must deal with those feelings and truly understand what the “bad†was and what our role, if at all, was in the relationship. Often times we look toward ourselves as the cause of abuse or infidelity. This is common and wondering what you could’ve done differently to avoid the situation that caused the relationship to go bad. It’s not usually just a one sided thing, but never is there an excuse for bad treatment, abuse or infidelity. There are healthy was to deal with frustrations in a relationship and going down a toxic path is not one of them. Find help and support to learn ways of moving on and coping with the aftershock of what you’ve been left to feel. Heal yourself and love yourself first, then you’ll have a much easier time allowing another person into your life and trust will come naturally. Take care of you
There's a possibility that it might be a defense mechanism. When someone is deeply hurt from a bad relationship, some walls might be put up in order to protect themselves from getting hurt again. Maybe there are still some wounds and hurts you harbor that have not been completely dealt with. It doesn't mean that you can't pursue healthy and functional relationships with others, but it could potentially make it difficult. If you can catch yourself in these moments and try to see these people outside of the lens of your bad relationship, you might be able to slowly break away from that comparison.
This is a natural response we have. It's evolutionary. ur brains process our past experiences constantly, and makes predictions for our future. trauma has an especially strong role to play in these "calculations." So don't worry too much. We all do this in our lives. Don't worry though, this is something that can be worked through. If we use some very basic therapy tools, we can make great progress toward healing this hurt. It is a simple matter of dealing with the pain and moving on in a healthy way. You just have to put in the work for it. A good guiding hand can go a long way.
Because of your experience in a bad relationship you've lost your trust in people. Everyone is not out to hurt you. People who had nothing to do with your bad relationship of being judged through your lens of one person. If you keep comparing people you will miss out on truly good relationships that will help you grow and not tear you down. I felt this way about my dad and I hated anyone who looked like him. I learned to forgive my dad for the things that he did to me. Because of that forgiveness my heart has been open to wonderful relationships. I use my Deliverance from a bad relationship to give others hope and compassion to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
If it is because of trust, then based on my personal experience when you have your trust broken so many times then it can be hard to have trust in others. When you have trusted someone and they do something to break that, it could make you feel like you should have had your guard up to expect that hurt. So then you feel like you cannot fully trust someone else so now you begin to question other people. It's like a defense mechanism. You want to trust but once it gets broken, it can take time to repair that. This is my opinion based on my personal experience, it could be totally different but hope this helps!
It is because we always try to find someone to relate to even though sometimes we know it is going to hurt us in some way! It's a completely humane thing to do and we all do it in one way or another. However, sometimes we should step back and appreciate what we have instead of comparing what we have to others because there is going to be people out there who want what you have too! Also, sometimes what we see in others aren't what is actually happening, it is most likely they're going through a hard time as well!
Because after trusting someone and having our faith broken, it is tough to trust again.
The comparison comes naturally "Will this person be like X and hurt me again by lying /abusing /manipulating me?"
It's important to remember that we should stay informed by the past but open to the future.
Our bad relationships tend to leave the largest "bruises," so we tend to remember them the most. Still, it's important to remember that they are an experience, a single example of a relationship.
By looking at what went wrong, at what makes us compare the relationship to the old relationship, we can better serve ourselves and heal.
It's hard not to compare everyone to the past relationship. You are trying to make sure that you won't get hurt again, and if there is a slight similarity, you will back away. When you compare everyone to the last bad person, you are trying to make sure there is good in them. If you see that the person is good, and not like the last one, it helps you realize that maybe you won't get hurt again, but if you find out that they are more similar then anything, then you will find a reason to shut yourself down once again. This keeps you from getting hurt.
Anonymous
February 28th, 2021 7:58pm
Sometimes when you've had ban relationships, you have trust issues and get scared with new people. Sometimes comparing people can come from worries and thoughts like "He dumped me, so this guy will to" or If one person uses you for sexual wants, you could have worries that your next mate will too. It's totally not a bad thing, and it can be taken care of. If you experience these comparisons very often, taking a break to regain your trust would always be an option! The world of love is a scary place, so it's totally understandable if you compare people to your bad relationships.
Anonymous
December 23rd, 2020 8:14pm
Sometimes we compare other people to our bad relationships because we are afraid that entering a new relationship will result in similar negative outcomes. We compare one situation to another as a coping/defense mechanism. We put up our defenses so we don't risk getting hurt. In our mission to avoid the risk that we may get hurt again, we miss out on the chance that something could be amazing. It's easiest to fit other people into our previously experienced molds of people. It takes more work to truly develop the mentality that each person is an individual and having one relationship that doesn't work out is not predictive of having another relationship that ends the same way.
Anonymous
May 9th, 2020 4:55pm
Because it was a negative result and negative results way on you more the positive ones. You are attempting to shield yourself, by using a defense mechanism in order for you not to go through the same emotional trauma. Bad relationships are necessary for you to be able to recognize a good one. Take it as a learning experience and not as a way that all relationships will be. Making yourself emotionally vulnerable is one of the most difficult thing to do but allowing it to happen will create a opportunity for you to really live and appreciate life.
Your bad relationship affects how you view other people! You may have been abused, verbally or physically, or some other form of neglect in that relationship. When you meet new people you may be wary about if they will act like your bad relationship. I personally was in a mentally abusive relationship. It lasted about a month, after that I had a very hard time trusting new people and people in general. I understand what you are going through and remember that not everyone will act like that past relationship!! It may be hard sometimes, but remember that life goes on and better things are coming your way!
Anonymous
May 20th, 2020 5:51am
It could be because your partner doesn’t treat you right, and you feel that others may do the same to you. When I was in a poor relationship, my partner made me feel like I was always doing something wrong. There were trust issues in our relationship. I started seeing everyone the way I saw him: as an untrustworthy person. Categorizing everyone as untrustworthy or bad is easier than leaving yourself vulnerable. Comparing everyone to your relationship could be your way of making yourself feel more secure. It could be because there is a specific personality trait you dislike about your bad relationship.
Anonymous
May 15th, 2020 6:12pm
It's a part of your life that won't be forgotten so easily, and it is an experience that takes time to heal from. After that experience, the same feelings and emotions come back at the thought of another relationship because it's the feeling of being afraid that it will happen again. It's hard to trust someone again and be able to see the good in someone else after falling in love and getting hurt, but when the time is right, you won't feel like you have to compare everyone, and you'll be able to love freely again and be happier than before.
You must not compare yourself or your relationship with anyone. No one knows what goes on behind closed doors. In comparing you are making your assumptions about your relationship even worse. You must first find out why you think your relationship is so bad and then find ways to make it heathy.
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