Instead of saying something outright and out loud, a partner tries to nudge the other in the right direction of figuring it out.

It's a sign that you two are not comfortable communicating openly and clearly. A person has no reason to be passive-aggressive if they feel safe expressing anger or insecurity within a relationship.

State your feelings and desires openly! Make it clear that your partner is not responsible or obligated to those feelings, but that you’d love to have their support.

It's when one person has a simple criticism or complaint and blackmails the other person by threatening the commitment of the relationship as a whole.

Without the freedom to be honest, a couple will suppress their true thoughts and feelings leading to the creation of an environment of distrust and manipulation.

Remember that two partners who are capable of communicating feedback and criticism without judgment or blackmail will strengthen their commitment to one another in the long-run.

Blaming our partners for our emotions is selfish and a classic example of the poor maintenance of personal boundaries. When you set a precedent that your partner is responsible for how you feel at all times (and vice-versa), this can easily lead to a codependent relationship.

Take responsibility for your own emotions and expect your partner to be responsible for theirs in turn. There’s a subtle yet important difference between being supportive of your partner and being obligated to your partner.

Some people describe jealousy as some sort of display of affection, figuring, incorrectly, that if their partner isn’t jealous then that somehow means they don’t love them enough. Rather than being loving, jealousy is actually just controlling and manipulative.

Completely trust your partner! Some jealousy is natural, but excessive jealousy and controlling behaviors are signs of your own feelings of unworthiness, and you should learn to deal with them and not force them onto those close to you.

Whenever a major conflict comes up in a relationship, instead of solving it, you cover it up with the excitement that come with buying something nice.

Not only does buying stuff brush the real problem under the rug but it sets an unhealthy precedent within the relationship.

Deal with the problem. Trust was broken? Talk about what it will take to rebuild it. Someone feels ignored or unappreciated? Talk about ways to restore those feelings of appreciation. Communicate! 

The road from a toxic relationship to a healthy one is not an easy one. If you can do the following three things, you have a shot at making it work:

• BOTH partners are willing to change: if you’ve both expressed a genuine willingness to work things out, you may proceed…
• BOTH partners recognize the lack of affection/trust/respect and are willing to work on it
• BOTH partners can communicate in a healthy way without excessive blaming or judgment.