What is your idea of cheating? Is it having a physical relationship with someone? Or do you consider cheating having an emotional connection with someone else? Generally, we would say both. Cheating happens when you have both an emotional and physical affair. However, your view might just change when you find out what micro-cheating is.
Micro-Cheating And How To Prevent It
As you may have caught from the name, micro-cheating happens when your partner does tiny, seemingly insignificant, acts of “cheating”. For example, if your partner sends a message to a “friend” asking her out for a coffee. This is rather harmless but the micro-cheating happens when your partner deletes this message and keeps the meeting from you.
Other examples of micro-cheating include liking Instagram photos, telling white lies about a specific person, flirting with a colleague at work, and so on. It’s any type of act that your partner wants to hide from you. Usually, it is done under the disguise of friendship. It borders into having an emotional affair.
Preventing Micro-Cheating From Happening
It’s scary when you think about the circumstances that lead to micro-cheating. If you think about it and over-analyze it, you could get paranoid at every little thing your partner does. This won’t be healthy for your relationship. Instead of going this route, try the following suggestions:
- Foster an environment of trust. This means that you have to control your temper whenever your partner confesses a mistake. You have to be open to hearing and talking about issues in a calm way so your partner is encouraged to confide in you more.
- Set your boundaries. Because micro-cheating can seldom be identified, you have to set clear boundaries in your relationship. Have a one on one talk with your partner about things that are over the limit. Hiding or deleting messages without your knowledge should be one of your limits.
- Set consequences. Your partner has to know the consequences of his or her mistake. Even before they think about micro-cheating, you have to let this person know what might happen as a consequence.
Aside from the tips above, the best way to prevent this from happening is by working on your relationship. Maintain your bond with the person you love so you can feel connected. For more tips about improving your relationship, check out posts from our blog.