Women tolerate so much in relationships these days. We let men toy around with our feelings, never knowing what to do to protect ourself. We make up these rules that make us seem even more insecure than we actually are and we tend to think that the boundaries that we have set are actually healthy. But there are a few things that secure women, women who know their worth, can’t (and will never) tolerate in a relationship.

1. Physical abuse

Let’s start with the most obvious one, shall we? Why would anyone tolerate an a-hole who doesn’t know that hitting a woman is the most disgraceful thing ever? We tend to feel insecure to the point where we let men do this to us, because we are too afraid to say what we think or defend ourself. At the exact moment that he raises a hand to you, you need to leave. There is no way he’ll change.

2. Emotional blackmail

Also manipulation. It’s not obvious and we see it when it’s too late for us to react, because we’ve already been inside the arms of the manipulator for quite some time. A strong woman walks away at the first signs of manipulation that she can spot. With her, there’s no second-guessing his actions.

3. A flirtatious nature

So, you’re at a bar and you look at your boyfriend who, without the slightest amount of shame, flirts with other women in front of your eyes. What do you do? Well, if you’re a secure and strong woman, you will walk away immediately. That kind of behavior is disrespectful.

4. Controlling behavior

A secure woman doesn’t need a man to tell her what to do, she does it all perfectly well herself. And if he wants to know what she’s doing, or when, or if he blows up her phone with messages just to see who’s with her, then we have a problem.

5. Jealousy

Jealousy is cute if it’s done in small doses. If your partner says some side comment about your ex, it’s amusing sometimes. But if he starts telling a strong woman like you that you’re not ‘allowed’ to talk to someone because he thinks of him as a threat, then it’s time to find a new partner. This one is too insecure for you.

6. Lies

If a strong woman calls out a guy for his lies the first time, you better believe that there won’t be another time. Lies are the beginning of the end. Why drag it out any further? If you lie to her, you’re in the past.

7. Inequality

She’s a strong and independent woman, she doesn’t need a man to provide her with security. And yes, she can pay for herself.

8. Lack of support

There’s no need to even consider a relationship if a guy doesn’t support your dreams and efforts. If he brings you down every time you do something like talk about the goals you’re pursuing, then he’s not worthy of your time. You will be much happier without him.

9. Waiting

A secure woman knows that there are so many awesome guys out there who are just waiting to adore her, so why wait around forever? There’s no need for that.

10. Being taken for granted

If a woman falls in love, we all know that she falls hard. She will do anything to make her partner feel loved, unless… her partner doesn’t see her efforts. A strong and secure woman won’t think twice about calling out the man who takes her for granted and making sure he knows that she’s comfortable with leaving him, no matter how much it might hurt her. She deserves to be respected.

11. Negative attitude

Criticism is healthy, to a certain degree. A secure woman knows the difference between constructive criticism and just blaming someone for what they’ve done and spreading a negative attitude.

12. Avoidance of your family

Well, we all know that our families can be quite weird sometimes and that they’re not always the most fun to be around, but if your partner doesn’t want to spend even the slightest amount of time with them, no matter how much it would mean to you, he’s just selfish. Get some self-confidence and strength and confront him about it!

13. No alone time

Your partner needs to be as strong as you are. Being needy isn’t cute at all. If he wants to be with you 24/7 then we might have a problem on our hands. A secure woman needs time on her own to recharge and improve herself, and she needs time to chase her goals and dreams. She’s a hard worker, so she can’t tolerate someone who’s stuck to her all the time.

14. Daily arguments

Haven’t you heard that relationships are meant to be fun and make you happy? Well, a secure woman knows this for sure. Why would you settle for someone that you argue with every single day? If you’re not that compatible, then there’s probably someone better for you out there.

15. Threats

I get shivers just thinking about it. When a man threatens you, you know that he’s going to do something to you one day and you will regret not leaving earlier. Threatening someone is manipulation and abuse that a strong woman can’t afford in her life, because she wants to be happy. She doesn’t need a relationship like this.