Lack of trust is perhaps the biggest obstacle to building a successful relationship with someone.
Without trust, it can be hard to establish a strong emotional connection and grow together as a couple.
According to Thriveworks, when a couple has trust issues, it can hinder their ability to build a healthy and happy relationship.
Some signs of lack of trust in a relationship include being overly protective of you, accusing you falsely, and snooping around your personal belongings.
In this article, we explore several signs of trust issues in a relationship and how to deal with them.
10 SIGNS OF LACK OF TRUST IN A RELATIONSHIP
Trust is an essential part of any healthy and long-lasting relationship.
It can be devastating to find out that your partner doesn’t trust you despite your efforts to prove your loyalty to them.
If you suspect that your romantic partner doesn’t trust you, here are 10 signs of lack of trust in a relationship and what to do about it:
1. Your partner is always suspicious of your actions
A person who has trust issues believes they will be betrayed if they lower their guard and commit fully to a relationship.
As a result, they are never truly at peace and will always look for signs of infidelity.
For example, if your boss gives you a bonus for your excellent performance at work, a distrustful partner will assume you got the incentive because you’re sleeping with your employer.
If your significant other is always suspicious of your actions even when you haven’t done anything wrong, that’s a clear sign of lack of trust.
2. They question you about your whereabouts
Another sign your partner doesn’t trust you is that they’ll ask you unnecessary questions about your whereabouts.
For instance, when you tell them you’re going to visit a friend, they’ll want to know every single detail about your movements.
Or when you go out on your own, they’ll call you every hour to inquire about your current location and ask what you’re doing.
While it’s necessary to care about someone’s safety, insisting to know what they’re up to at every point is a sign of lack of trust.
If your romantic partner questions your whereabouts all the time and you find it annoying or disrespectful, you could be dealing with some trust issues in your relationship.
3. They snoop through your phone often
One of the biggest signs of lack of trust in a relationship is checking your significant other’s devices to see whether they’re cheating on you.
For example, a partner with trust issues will often look through your text messages, emails, call logs, and social media accounts to find incriminating evidence.
When you’re seeing someone, it’s essential to trust that they’ll be faithful and committed to building a solid relationship with you.
Engaging in snooping behavior is an obvious sign of distrust and a lack of boundaries.
If you’ve caught your significant other going through your mobile phone or laptop when you weren’t looking, it’s an indicator that they don’t trust you.
4. They easily get jealous and angry
Jealousy can either be a sign of love or a lack of trust. In small amounts, it can be seen as a deep love for a romantic partner.
However, persistent jealousy in a relationship is a clear sign of insecurity and trust issues.
If your partner gets jealous and angry on a regular basis, it means they don’t trust you and are worried you’ll leave them for someone else.
5. Your partner tries to isolate you from other people
Another way to tell your partner doesn’t trust you is that they’ll take away your independence and prevent you from going out alone.
They may even ask mutual friends and family members to watch you in their absence.
Isolating your romantic partner and asking people to spy on them when you’re not around is an obvious sign of distrust.
If your significant other prevents you from interacting with other people, this means they feel insecure in the relationship and are afraid you’ll cheat on them.
6. They constantly accuse you of being unfaithful
Distrustful people always anticipate betrayal, which means they are constantly on the lookout for cheating signs.
For instance, if you’re friendly with a neighbor or co-worker, a partner who doesn’t trust you will assume you’re having an affair with them.
Because of their paranoia and lack of trust, they become overprotective of you and make up worst-case scenarios to prepare themselves in case of betrayal.
Even when they haven’t caught you red-handed, they still accuse you of sleeping around with other people.
If your romantic partner constantly accuses you of cheating with other people, that’s a big sign they don’t trust you in the relationship.
7. They doubt everything you say
Another sign your partner doesn’t trust you is that they won’t believe anything you tell them and will always doubt you.
Even when you tell the truth, a distrustful partner will not fully accept your word because they think you want to deceive them.
As a result, it can be difficult to have healthy communication in your relationship, and you’ll have to go the extra mile to make them believe you.
If you constantly have to defend yourself in your relationship, that’s a sign your partner doesn’t trust your words, motives, and actions.
8. Your partner easily jumps to conclusions about things
Does your significant other often misinterpret your intentions and make wrong assumptions in the relationship? That’s another sign of lack of trust.
People with trust issues often jump to conclusions about certain things because they’re extremely wary of being hurt.
In a bid to control the outcome and lower the pain of betrayal, distrustful people assume wrongly and make up their own stories about situations.
For instance, when you’re running late after work, your partner will assume that you’re hanging out with a secret lover and accuse you of cheating on them with another person.
If your partner hastily concludes a matter instead of waiting to hear the truth from you, it’s a sign they don’t trust you.
9. They interrogate anybody they see with you
People with trust issues are often cautious and highly suspicious of the people who interact with their loved ones.
It’s much worse when they already mistrust you and think that you’ll leave them for someone else.
Each time they see you with anyone, they’ll interrogate the person and try to scare them so they can stay away from you.
In extreme cases, they may even harass people who try to be nice and friendly toward you.
If your significant other interrogates your acquaintances and tries to chase them away, it’s an indicator that you’re dealing with trust issues in your relationship.
10. They ask you to post them on social media all the time
Does your partner tell you to post about them on your social media profiles frequently?
Maybe they keep asking you to use their photo as your profile picture.
Or they say if you’re not posting about them, it means you’re hiding your relationship and cheating with someone else.
A romantic partner who insists on appearing on your timeline even when it’s a personal account doesn’t feel secure in the relationship.
It’s your choice whether you want to use your significant other’s photo on social media or not, and shouldn’t be the criteria for judging your fidelity.
If your partner keeps pressuring you to post them online when it’s not a special occasion, this is a major sign of insecurity and lack of trust.
HOW TO DEAL WITH A DISTRUSTFUL PARTNER
Most times, lack of trust stems from past trauma, fear of abandonment, and insecurity about one’s self.
If your partner doesn’t trust you, it probably has nothing to do with you and everything to do with their relationship history and self-esteem.
Try to have a long talk with your significant other and reassure them of your loyalty.
You can also work with a cognitive behavioral therapist or couples counselor to help you resolve the trust issues in your relationship.
Conclusion
Dealing with a distrustful partner is a painful experience, and it takes a lot of effort to resolve trust issues in a relationship.
It can be mentally and emotionally exhausting to have to defend yourself when you’re not guilty of wrongdoing.
Without trust, building a healthy and happy relationship with someone you love is challenging.
Some of the effects of lack of trust in a relationship are poor communication, lack of intimacy, constant fighting, and mental health issues.
Instead of hoping these problems will resolve on their own, seek professional help to repair your emotional bond.
Trust issues don’t just go away overnight; it takes patience, constant effort, and vulnerability to regain broken trust.
Consider talking to your partner about the challenges you’re facing in the relationship and try to convince them to go for couples therapy with you.
A licensed therapist can give you the right tools and support you need to fix your relationship problems.
If you’ve tried everything you can to make your partner trust you and the situation doesn’t change after some time, leaving the relationship can be the best option for both of you.
Recommended Reading:
How To Build Trust In A Relationship
How To Deal With An Angry Partner
14 Things To Try Before Giving Up On A Relationship
About The Author
Jennifer Dagi
Jennifer Dagi is happily married to her best friend and the love of her life.
As a relationship coach, she is passionate about helping couples build healthy and happy relationships.
She strongly believes communication and intimacy are the most important ingredients for building a successful relationship.
Join her on a fabulous journey to improve your love life one step at a time and don't forget to subscribe for weekly blog updates.