Relationships aren't meant to be easy, but they are supposed to be worth it. Yes, there are many ups and downs to them. Don't find yourself in a toxic relationship like I found myself in. In a relationship, nobody wants to be constantly insulted, put down, doubting yourself or feeling stupid. If you feel any of these, run for the other direction. You are better off without them and will find someone who truly makes you happy, just as I did.

Let me tell you a little bit about my last relationship. I thought I had met the man of my dreams at such a young age, but found out two years later that I wouldn't be able to spend my life with him. We met when I was a senior in high school and continued dating throughout the fall semester of my sophomore year of college. In the beginning, everything was perfect about our relationship, we were happy and never had any arguments. About a year and a half in, we started always fighting. He was trying to control what I do and tell me if I couldn't do anything. I should have never let that happen because I missed out on a lot of opportunities with my friends at college.

We argued about everything and he didn't understand when I needed space away from him because we consistently saw each other every minute of every day. A month shy of our two-year anniversary is when things ended between us. After he broke up with me, he constantly played games with my head telling me he loves me and then the next day telling me he hated me. I didn't understand and looked to my friends and parents for guidance on this situation. I was told that I should never let someone I am dating control me, I should have never been treated the way I was treated and I should never let someone tell me who I can and cannot hang out with. After months of my ex repeatedly texting me and asking me what I'm doing and who I am with, I finally took it to a higher authority. I was sick of someone who won't leave me alone when I asked several times. When I finally lost all contact with him, I was so much happier.

From experiencing this kind of relationship, it was so hard for me to trust someone new. After this relationship, I felt heartbreak like I never have before. I never in my life thought I would be treated like that and questioned myself daily what I did to deserve this. Everyone told me that I didn't do anything wrong and that it was him. Moving on from this was incredibly hard for me but I finally found someone who treats me completely different than that, and I know this is what I've been looking for the entire time. Looking back at everything, I'm glad things ended when they did because I wouldn't have met my current boyfriend.