We all struggle with self-esteem from time-to-time. Especially in the age of social media influence, it is all too easy to compare ourselves to others and begin believing that we are falling short. In times like these, it is natural for us to rely on the support of a loved one to pull us out of our slump. Most of the time, however, we are able to pull ourselves out of these slumps. We remind ourselves that we are worthy of happiness; that feelings are not facts, and that we will feel as good as new in a short matter of hours.

When it comes to codependency, this is far from true.

Codependent individuals will entirely lack a stable sense of self-esteem. They will rely on their romantic partner to meet all of their emotional needs and will derive all of their self-esteem from their current relationship. Additionally, codependent individuals will consistently sacrifice their own needs in order to meet the needs of their partner. It can be difficult to determine whether or not you are struggling with codependent tendencies, seeing as most codependent individuals often believe that they are in healthy relationships.