10 Ways to Protect Your Heart from Breaking in a Relationship ...

1. Set Boundaries

Setting boundaries is a really good way of remembering what you're comfortable with in a relationship and what you're not. This means that if something happens that's past your boundaries, it's easier to recognise when you're feeling uncomfortable and inadequate so that you can draw it back in to a place inside the boundaries where you do feel comfortable.

2. Don't Settle for Less

Settling for less may seem like one of the easiest things to do, but it can actually lead you to a higher chance of unhappiness. Settling for less basically means we're settling for less than we deserve, less than we want and need in order to feel happy and comfortable in a relationship. It's almost as though we're setting ourselves for disappointment right from the beginning.

3. Trust Your Instincts

It may not always seem like it, but it's true that your instincts are almost always right in any given situation. They're a part of you, they want the best for you and are a great guide to following the right path and making right decisions. It's also a great way to avoid making mistakes and feeling regretful. All you have to do is make a conscious decision to listen to them.

4. Learn to Walk Away

Heartache can often happen when we know a situation doesn't feel right but we choose to pursue it anyway. But not everything in life is worth taking the risk for, some things are better off left alone if we want to protect ourselves. Be brave and learn to walk away from these kinds of situations, just to be on the safe side.

5. Lower Guard when It's Safe

Until someone shows you that it's safe to open up to them and trust them, keep your guard reasonably high in order to protect yourself and lower the risk of heartache and heartbreak. It's smart to only lower it when they give us good reason to and we feel comfortable bringing it down slightly.

6. Don't Be Negatively Effected

This may be easier said than done, but try not to let other people negatively effect you. They may choose to do things that are negative but you're actually able to distance yourself from this behaviour so that you're aware of it but are not directly negatively effected by it. Choose to keep positivity in your life and shut yourself off from anything of the opposite.

7. Take It Nice and Slow

Only show other people the parts you feel comfortable with them seeing. Remember that getting to know someone is a gradual process that takes time, so don't tell them everything about you when you first start talking. Take it nice and slow, do things at your own pace and only when you feel ready.

8. Don't Expect Every Guy to Be the One

A good way to set yourself up for heartache is going into every relationship thinking he's the man you're going to marry. It's also not healthy to go in feeling it's going to fail, but there is a healthy medium between the two. Go into it and enjoy it for what it is. If it goes further-great! If it doesn't-well at least you anticipated it from the get go.

9. Don't Let Love Blind You

Just like trusting your gut instincts is important, so is listening to your head. Hindsight does not mend a broken heart, if there's obvious signs your guy is playing games, better to be aware than let it go on and lead to a broken heart. Ignoring the truth only makes the inevitable harder to bear.

10. Don't Forget Your Friends

It's easy to get swept up in a new relationship. It's fun and exciting, but your friends were there before him and will be there after him. If you lose them all because of a guy, there's no guarantee they're going to be there for you when things end. Then who will you rely on to bring you ice cream and let you cry? It's also important to know what they have to say about your guy, after all, they may see things you don't...

What tips do you have for preventing heartbreak? Share them in the comments!