7 Ways to Stop an on-off Relationship ...

1. Pay Attention to Signs

When you are learning how to stop an on off relationship, you've got to pay attention to the signs of your relationship going downhill again. The signs could be you constantly feel like you need to nag or that your boyfriend or girlfriend is constantly getting on your nerves. Truthfully, an on again and off again relationship is difficult to deal with, but if you watch out for the signs, most likely you'll see if you want to be with your boyfriend or girlfriend!

2. Assess Your Own Needs

When you are in this type of relationship, you've really got to assess your needs and what you want out of a relationship. Do you think that your ex is someone that you can be with forever? Are their flaws something that you can live with? Do you want to live with them?

3. Learn to Negotiate

If you do decide to work it out, you've got to learn to negotiate with your partner, you've got to learn to lay down the law and let them know that you are not doing this on and off again thing, but rather you want something real and something permanent.

4. Find Ways to Work Together

Having an on again and off again relationship can all boil down to your and your partner not finding a way to work together on even the smallest things. It can cause resentment if you are constantly the one that is doing the dishes and your boyfriend or girlfriend doesn't do them with you or ever. Remember, you've got to find a way to work together.

5. Expect Conflict

Conflict is going to happen in any relationship, but in on again and off again relationships, it seems to happen more and more. The reason? Because you've already walked away once, twice or five times. With every relationship, if you've walked away a ton, it can be easy to do so when there is conflict. Remember though, even in the best of relationships, there is conflict.

6. Don't Be Impulsive

While conflict might happen, you've got to remember that you don't want to be impulsive. Just because both of you are having a fight or you get frustrated with your partner, doesn't mean that you suddenly need to end it or start making the fight worse by throwing up the past.

7. Avoid 'Always' and 'Never'

Finally, one of the biggest things that I learned when I went to therapy in regards to relationships, especially the on and off again relationships is the fact that there is a lot of black and white. 'He never does this' or 'She always does this,' avoid those statements and live in the gray a little!

So, while there are never going to be times where you can completely forget an on again and off again relationship, you can learn how to recognize it. Have you ever been in an on and off again relationship?