Why You Should Stop Following Other People’s Relationship Advice

Relationship advice is a dime a dozen.

You can find it anywhere from anyone, but that doesn't always mean it's worth your attention. It's either all the same or doesn't really apply to your current romantic situation.

For those reasons and a few more, other people's relationship advice isn't worth following. We'll convince you why as you scroll below!

A Lot of It Isn't Good

Everyone has relationship advice to offer, whether they're in a steady partnership or perpetually single. There's no limit to the amount of relationship advice you can find on the internet, because it's everywhere. No matter which site you visit, a few scrolls down the homepage and you'll encounter at least three different articles all offering guidance on your relationship woes. Just because it's there, doesn't mean it needs to be followed.

Most everyone will tell you the same cliché things when it comes to looking for love: 1. Put yourself out there 2. It happens when you least expect it 3. There are plenty of fish in the sea. To that we say: 1. Where is "there"? 2. Don't you still have to be looking for love to find it? A soulmate isn't going to fall right out of the sky. 3. We know we have options, but why do we always attract the bad ones or none at all? No one has those answers, so they'll just laugh off the more pressing questions, urging you to, again, put yourself out there and let fate run its course.

As people who have followed those types of tips, we can assure you all of that is a bunch of hoopla. Why? Well, because we're still single. We're not bitter about it, we just wish there was better advice available for us to follow that would lead to something more than a relationship that ends in being ghosted.

And these overused phrases aren't even the worst pieces of relationship advice that's out there. Trust us, it gets pretty bad, but we'll spare you the gory details. Know that you don't need to follow everything others tell you, because not every relationship is the same—which brings us to our next point.

(500 Days of Summer via Fox Searchlight Pictures)

 

Relationships Aren't One-Size-Fits-All

People apply the same advice to every relationship. Big mistake. No two people are exactly alike, even identical twins, so how come we assume all relationships follow the same protocol? Exactly, they don't. Yet others often forget this and throw you the same, tired nuggets of advice they think you haven't heard 100 times already.

Because relationship advice is all the same, we've all followed it to a T, hoping we'd find our true love because we did what we were told. It worked for a few of us, but many of us are still—wait for it—single. So how do you explain that, relationship advice-givers? If we followed the same words of wisdom that worked for you, but came up empty handed, what went wrong? It could've been us, but it could've been the fact that the same relationship advice doesn't work for everyone.

And if your relationship has hit a bit of a rough patch, people in "healthier" relationships will offer sage advice on what worked for them, not knowing the whole story. They'll assure you that doing this or that has always smoothed things over. It might work for you, too, or it could end in disaster. It's usually always the latter.

(How I Met Your Mother via CBS)

 

There's No Evidence to Back Up Their Claims

The next time someone offers you unwarranted relationship advice, ask them how they know it'll work. They'll likely respond with a quip about how it worked for them and they've never been in a happier relationship. Follow up by asking if they know of anyone else who this advice worked for. That's where you'll get them.

Those in relationships love to use their very own partnership as the epitome for finding love. Because they followed all the rules, they were able to meet their perfect person. But again, relationships aren't one-size-fits-all. What worked for them, probably won't have the same outcome for you. Sure, you know that, but anyone who's ever given any piece of advice doesn't.

To prove a point, go ahead and follow the advice they give you verbatim and watch it not pan out for you how it did for them. But if it does end up working, please shoot us an email with that advice so we can finally land us someone who'll put up with our sarcasm. Thank you!

(Enchanted via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

 

They Don't Know the Whole Story

Because someone's in a healthy relationship, they'll feel right showering you with tips and tricks to salvaging yours or finding love. What they forget is that just because they're in a relationship, doesn't mean they're valid in giving you advice. A main reason is because they don't know everything else that's going on in your life. It's easy to tell someone to dump their S.O. or keep looking for love no matter how many times they've been left brokenhearted, but that's not the full story.

What they're seeing is a small glimpse into your life, yet they assume they know exactly what you're going through. They don't, but they'll push their advice on you as if they do. Remember to take everything they say with a grain of salt. Some of it could be helpful, but most of it won't apply to the entirety of the situation you're in.

(Riverdale via The CW)

 

We know we said to stop following relationship advice (and you should), but THESE cliché words of relationship wisdom are actually worth listening to.