3 Comforting Reminders For Anyone Who Accepted The Bare Minimum For Too Long

When you’re in a relationship or situationship, it can be really hard to see that you’re truly only getting the bare minimum. It isn’t until after you take off the rose-tinted glasses that you see it all for what it really was.

If you’ve recently gotten out of a partnership where you accepted the bare minimum for too long, then you need to read this:

You deserve better.

You know that you deserve to be treated with basic kindness and respect. But sometimes, when you’re in a relationship or situationship that isn’t necessarily bad or toxic or abusive, it’s hard to see that you’re not actually being treated with kindness and respect. Your partner can be nice and gentle and safe to be around, but that’s the bare minimum. You deserve someone who will go above and beyond for you. When you enter a new relationship in the future, don’t accept anything less than you know you deserve.

It was not your fault.

Oftentimes, the end of a relationship can leave us feeling defeated. We sometimes feel as if it was our fault that they didn’t try harder — they didn’t love us or care about us enough. That belief is far from the truth. If someone gave you the bare minimum in the relationship, that is not your fault. Their lack of trying is their fault — don’t forget that.

You’re allowed to forgive yourself — and you should.

If you accepted the bare minimum for too long, I want you to know that’s okay. It happened and it happens to the best of us. You can’t go back and change the past. You know better now, and you know not to accept anything less than you deserve. So while you’re navigating this space, work on self-forgiveness. Be gentle with yourself. Give yourself grace.