10 clear signs you are being used

Any relationship, whether it be friendly, romantic, or business-related, is primarily built on mutual respect and support. Today you may need help, and tomorrow you may be helping someone else.

However, there are people for whom relationships resemble a one-way street: they only take without giving anything in return.

Professor Bruce Y. Lee has compiled a list of signs that indicate someone is engaging with you in a one-sided manner, consuming your time, energy, and resources.

Asking for help but not assisting themselves

This doesn't mean you should constantly tally up who helped whom and how many times. Keeping score isn't crucial here; it's not a soccer match. However, if you can't recall any assistance from this person at all, they might be taking advantage of you.

Constantly highlighting how much they've done for you

Here it is - keeping score in relationships, and it's a bad sign if someone almost logs every step they take in supporting you in a notebook.

Consider your help as unconditional

To the extent that they don't even bother with a simple "thank you."

"You're not a 24/7 support store. Although, technically, even a 24/7 store gets money in exchange for fossilized hot dogs that have been lying on the grill for eternity," explains the psychologist.

Appear in your life only when they need something

If this person calls or messages you, your first thought is, "What does she/he want this time?" By the way, you have the same reaction when someone suddenly becomes overly sweet in communication.

Disregard your boundaries and feelings

Your "no" is not an answer for them. They always push your feelings of guilt for refusing. This means they are indifferent to you as a person, treating you more like a service provider.

Don't make an effort to truly understand you

One clear sign that a relationship is in jeopardy is when you know a lot about the other person but aren't confident that they are equally familiar with your life.

Don't listen to your words

They let you express yourself, but that's not enough. The conversation partner needs to acknowledge what you're saying, take it seriously, respond, or even take action—maybe apologize if they've done something wrong. And it should be a sincere apology, not a narcissistic one like, "I'm sorry if you think I did something wrong."

Keep you 'on a leash'

Even the most egocentric person understands that you'll eventually stop doing things for them (and on their behalf) just like that. That's when they might hand you something of no value to them—an unused gift card they received, a discount code that cost them nothing, or loud praises and empty promises. Overall, creating the illusion of reciprocity.

Don't fulfill promises

Promises lose their meaning when a person doesn't follow through. Yes, unforeseen circumstances can arise, but a responsible person will notify you as soon as they come up, sincerely apologize for not keeping their word, and suggest an alternative solution to the task at hand.

Don't support you in conflicts with other people

Perhaps, in private conversations, the person will express support for you. However, their behavior when they need to take a public stance on someone's side is telling. If you're only being used, the choice is likely to favor the "more useful" person.

Earlier, we wrote about how to distinguish true love from other feelings.

We also discussed what is essential to know during a breakup.