For whatever reason, you simply don’t seem to trust anyone. You don’t feel comfortable talking to them and everything related to the topic of trust is something very difficult to talk about for you. Either you were taught when you were little that you shouldn’t trust anyone or you developed that sense later on in life because of a trauma you went through, when you were deceived by someone who meant so much to you. You probably came to realize some of these signs before now but it’s very important to know that they are a result of you having trust issues.

1. You don’t let people in your life easily

Everyone who wants to enter your life has to go through a series of questions and tests in order for you to make sure that they are indeed harmless and that they won’t deceive you—but this doesn’t mean that you will trust them completely. It’s hard for you to connect with someone new because you always have that little voice in your head that’s telling you that you shouldn’t be trusting them at all. You don’t let people in your life easily and it takes a lot of effort from their side in order to stay in your life.

2. You check your partner’s social media

You know that it’s bad but a glance over the shoulder to see to whom he’s texting won’t hurt anyone, right? Well, I don’t know about that. Trust issues can lead to many problems in relationships, especially if you ask your partner for their passwords or you scroll through their social media without their consent.

3. You predict the way someone is going to deceive you

You already have a clear image in your head of how your boyfriend is going to cheat on you, or that your friends will spread a rumor about you. There is no way to help it if you’re always looking for signs that someone will deceive you in any kind of way. These people don’t deserve your mistrust but at the same time you have probably gone through this millions of times already and you know why you’re so cautious. Even when you meet someone new, you set boundaries, because you have seen a clear visualization in your head that tells you that this person is going to let you down.

4. You feel lonely

You feel like no one understands you and that no one in this whole world will be there for you to help you when you find yourself in a difficult situation. You feel unloved and isolated. You always end up doing something on your own because you are afraid that someone else will turn their back on you and simply leave without a certain reason. But that doesn’t change the fact that you’ll keep on complaining that you shouldn’t be trusting anyone. How do you know that if you don’t try?

5. You have intense relationships that suddenly die

This is also very common with people who have trust issues because they get to the point where they’re having intense and shallow relationships. This isn’t just about romantic relationships but relationships in general, because you might have friends for partying who simply disappear when times get tough and you discard them from your life. That’s a smart thing to do but why would you even want to start a relationship like this that has no real basis?

6. Unrealistic expectations

For many people who have trust issues, they have one thing in common: they always expect perfection in their relationships. Nothing is good enough and no one is worthy of them. You might feel like every little mistake your partner makes is automatically a sign that he will cheat on you or that he simply isn’t committed enough and that he’s leading you on for some reason.

7. You display less emotion

You fear exposing yourself to others and that’s why you like to keep your emotions and your thoughts as private as possible. It’s not that you wouldn’t like to tell someone how you feel about a certain situation but rather that you don’t see the need to. You don’t want to be exposed and show that you’re extremely vulnerable, because this way it’s much easier for you, when you know that no one will use your feelings against you.