Relationships are complicated at the best of times. There’s no ‘correct’ manner in which you should behave and every individual finds happiness in different forms.

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That being said, there are some obvious ways to destroy a perfectly promising liason. Here are my top five:

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Moving too fast, too soon

Especially whilst you’re studying at university, remember to keep a sense of perspective.

Saying “I love you” in the first week of a relationship is not only disingenuous, it’s also a sure fire way to scare off your significant other.

Enjoy the dating stage for as long as possible; there’s no rush to start planning wedding dates and baby names. Domesticity is overrated.

Jealousy

If you know you’re the jealous type, try to avoid incessantly questioning your boyfriend or girlfriend about what they’ve been doing and more importantly, who they’ve been with. It’s an old cliché, but trust has got to be the foundation of any healthy relationship.

Dwelling on past relationships

The dreaded ex. You can’t avoid talking about them entirely, but you can stop them wrecking your new found love. In the unlikelihood that you’re still friends with an old flame, don’t introduce them to the most recent object of your affections unless absolutely necessary. And never, ever moan about past break-ups; it gets boring. Very quickly.

Lack of Communication

Once it gets to the point where you’ve resorted to texting your beau to pass the remote control, you know there’s been a breakdown in verbal exchanges. Make time to see each other alone at least once a week. Chats across the dancefloor in your SU simply won’t suffice. The longer you keep a problem to yourself, the more you’ll resent your other half.

Cheating

Don’t do it. Simple as. Even if your relationship survives a casual fling, it’ll never be quite the same again.

Image taken from doug88888’s Flickr photostream