As much as we believe in true love, the truth is that things can get messy in any relationship. We’ve seen this in various cases that have popped up in the past few months. Here are some of the things we’ve learned after watching all of these events unfold.
Sign a prenup.
We know a lot of people who are against prenups because they think that it’s unromantic or is a bad start to a marriage. In a nutshell, a prenup is a prenuptial agreement signed by both parties before they get married. It basically lists all of your properties and rights so as to protect them should your marriage fall apart. Contrary to popular belief, this shouldn’t be something that only the rich look into. A prenup is particularly important if there are properties or debts involved in your lives. Without a prenup, your spouse has the right to share any property that you acquire during your marriage. You may also have to pay for debts that your spouse may incur during this time.
Sign every contract yourself.
It’s easy to trust your partner and have them sign contracts on behalf of both of you. However, when worse comes to worst and your name isn’t on a contract involving properties or other assets, you won’t have any hold over anything that your signature isn’t affixed upon. If you’re too busy to show up for a contract signing, re-schedule. If you think you can trust your partner wholeheartedly, think again. Again, events in your life are completely out of your control. At the end of the day, you can truly only trust yourself.
Photo from Associated Press
Keep “receipts”.
While we would never imagine our relationships taking a turn for the worst, it could still happen. If your partner hurts you in any way – emotionally, verbally, physically, or otherwise – make sure to keep “receipts”. Take screenshots of conversations where they’re abusive towards you. If they hurt you physically, take photos and report them when you’re ready. If things are taken to court later on, evidence would be the most important thing to have.
Have a good support system.
Without a doubt, it is vital to have a good support system outside of your relationship. While you may be good friends with your partner outside of just being lovers, keeping other people in the know and building a support system that will have your back outside of the relationship is incredibly important. Not only will they be able to give you an outsider’s perspective on things, but they will also be able to hold your hand through the bad stuff when your partner no longer will.
Breathe, heal, and move forward.
After everything, make sure to take care of yourself. Breathe and take a moment to recuperate. Heal through whichever (preferably healthy) way works for you. And while it may be hard to move on, do not fail to move forward, bounce back, and become a stronger version of yourself.
