9 signs you're being too controlling in your relationship

Controlling behavior can be incredibly detrimental to a relationship. And it's not always easy to know you're being too controlling until it's already damaged your relationship. 

That being said, there probably were a number of signs that showed that you're being too controlling, even if you missed them.

If you want to know whether or not you're being too controlling, here's what you may want to look out for.

You dictate what your partner does, who they're friends with, and more.

Regardless of how you feel about what your partner does, who your partner is friends with, or anything else, if you're telling them what they are and aren't allowed to do in terms of those things, you're likely being too controlling.

"Controlling behavior is often related to feelings of anxiety,"Carrie Askin, LCSW, the co-director at Menergy, told INSIDER. "If I feel anxious that my partner will leave me, I might try to control who they talk to or where they go or how they dress."

Working on managing your anxiety, working with a therapist, and being more mindful can help.

You're always quick to criticize.

If you regularly criticize those around you, that too could be a subtle sign that you're being too controlling, Dr. Sherrie Campbell, Ph.D., a licensed counselor, psychologist, marriage and family therapist, and the author of "Success Equations: A Path to Living an Emotionally Wealthy Life," told INSIDER.

"Work on your issues around insecurity," Campbell said. "Controlling people usually have issues with trust, and so they want to control whoever is in their lives as a way to protect themselves but they actually set themselves up for people to betray and/or leave them because the pressures of being with them are too demanding and/or demeaning. It's important for each person who is controlling to work to be whole. It is vital they turn to therapy and/or others methods of self-development. that can help them overcome this problem."

There's a reason why you're so critical all of the time and it might be that you're dealing with insecurities that have yet to be addressed.

You're isolating them from their friends and family.

Isolation can be incredibly dangerous when in a relationship. If you find you're controlling behavior is distancing your partner from their loved ones, it's important to take a step back and assess and address this behavior.

Further, isolating your partner could come in the form of you not wanting your partner to focus on their other relationships.

"These are signs that the partner is isolating their mate from loved ones," Kryss Shane, MS, MSW, LSW, LMSW, a dual-licensed social worker, told INSIDER.