Is Cheating Healthy For A Relationship?

Some relationships have come out stronger and wiser from cheating incidents. But is cheating healthy for a relationship?

It is only natural that we may get tempted by the fruit of another at some point in our life. This usually happens when boredom and monotony get the best of your relationship. 

Curiosity kicks in, coming with the spirit of exploration. The age of social media, online dating, and sexting fuel the spirit, and you find yourself thinking about straying. After all, it is a one-time thing. No effects! You can go back to your relationship scot-free! And life goes on! 

But is your thinking valid? A study in the Archives of Sexual Behavior found out that 40% of those who once cheated will cheat again. Will this be healthy for your relationship?

Well, if you commit infidelity, several psychologists have said that your union may not be better off than it was before the act. Cheating destroys trust; it can get messy and affect how you relate even in the future. 

How Cheating Affects Your Mental Health

A healthy mental being is achieved by having a good relationship with others. But after your partner commits infidelity, your mental health will be affected in many ways.

You Lose Confidence

Being cheated on affects your self-esteem and makes you feel not good enough. Low self-esteem creates anxiety, stress and increases the chances of depression. As a result, you will develop negative thoughts about your partner. As a result, your relationship will have issues. Away from your relationship, your job performance may be affected. You will start questioning your worth in your relationship and in anything you do.

You Feel Lonely

Cheating triggers grief that can make you withdraw from everyone around you—feelings of embarrassment and shame cause this. However, despite getting isolated from people close to you, studies have found that this may make you think about getting back to your relationship, regardless of the effects.

You may feel depressed.

When you get cheated on, feelings of sadness will kick in and affect your everyday lifestyle, leading to depression. Depression can manifest in your life as insomnia and feeling tearful. You will also find trouble getting happy in things you loved doing.

Self Harm Feelings

We have heard about someone committing suicide after being cheated on. Cheating can make someone feel worthless and think that they may never recover from being cheated on. When this happens, the mind is filled with self-harming and suicidal thoughts. 

How Cheating Affects Your Overall Health

Trust Issues

When your partner cheats on you, not only will you mistrust them sexually and emotionally, you begin finding it hard to trust them in most aspects of life. After a cheating incident, more lies are revealed and makes it even difficult. You begin to suspect everything you do with them. You question their motives in finances and even parenting.

It takes time to build trust in a relationship. But cheating plunges it down instantly. Rebuilding the trust you had between yourselves can be the hardest thing to do.

Your Sexual Health Can be Affected

Infidelity can affect your sex life to the point that you may not even recognize your libido. Even if you are putting more effort to forgive your partner, your sexual experience may change and get affected by feelings of anger, depression, and betrayal. This kills your sexual desire with your partner, and you may not have great moments with them.

Eating Disorders

You can find yourself losing your appetite after your partner cheats on you. Research has found out that eating disorders can be attributed to stressful life events such as infidelity.

Drug And Alcohol Abuse

Some people turn to drug and alcohol abuse as a temporary solution to their emotional trauma caused by cheating. While it may provide a quick solution, its results may be severely damaging to their health.

Some Positives That May Come After Cheating

While there are many negatives about infidelity, some relationships come out even stronger after one party cheats. Some positives may come out of cheating. 

Many people will not tell you this because, overall, cheating has detrimental effects. 

Cheating can bring both parties closer.

Many people cite cheating as an unforgivable action in a relationship. But when both parties decide to work together and restore their relationship after infidelity, the benefits may be huge in strengthening bonds.

The issues that led to cheating are addressed, and even a common understanding between both parties is created. 

You Will Learn To Work On Yourself

Most people who seek therapy treatments after being cheated on have one common goal; seeking personal transformation. The cheating incident may make you develop a “revenge-like” attitude, which will push you to become a better person. You will have the energy to discover yourself instead of letting it destroy you.

It can help you close doors you were too scared to close.

Though most people find it difficult to admit, there are several unhealthy relationships that none of the parties want to make a move and end them. Cheating may make your way out from such relationships. Infidelity can close the door and give you an opportunity for something new and better.

You might look at your potential partner differently.

If cheating brings your current relationship to an end, the chances are that you will have learned lessons from it. Research from Binghamton University found out that ladies who got cheated on had higher emotional intelligence as a result. The incident will make you pick up hints that may indicate any signs of cheating from your future partner.

Conclusion

Cheating is not healthy for any relationship. Apart from causing guilt and destroying your relationship, it affects both parties, mental and physical health, leading to severe effects in your lives. Although infidelity has some positives, it has a more negative impact on your lives, some that may not be repaired. Work on your relationship and seek professional therapy when you get tempted to cheat.