Have you ever experienced a karmic bond? Is your relationship a turbulent love-hate rollercoaster? Do you feel you love your partner so much that it hurts, but it’s easy to start an argument that quickly turns ugly? If so, your relationship is probably karmic.
These relationships are dynamic, tumultuous, and usually too toxic to last, but their purpose is to teach us a lesson. We’ve prepared a guide explaining the signs and phases of karmic connections and how to end them, so keep reading to find out!
What Is a Karmic Relationship?
Karmic bonds are instant and magnetic. Your relationship is incredibly intense and all-consuming. You feel like you‘ve known your partner before and can’t live without this person anymore.
Unfortunately, this inexplicable connection you feel with your partner doesn’t mean you’re meant to be. Uncontrollable passion is one side of the coin, but the other is explosive and emotionally damaging arguments, leaving you drained and agitated.
However harsh this may sound, our karmic partners are there to teach a lesson, so this bond is crucial from a personal growth perspective. This is why it’s essential to recognize the signs and stages of this kind of relationship and to learn when to end it.
What are the signs of a karmic relationship?
Toxic relationships usually don’t start as such, although there are ominous hints things will soon go downhill. Let’s look at some eye-opening signs your relationship is karmic.
Instant bond
You know you’ve met someone special when you immediately click from day one. It’s like you’ve known each other forever, and everything about them feels perfect. You can talk about anything and everything and dedicate all your time to those conversations.
This feeling might trick you into thinking you’ve found your perfect match because karmic love starts abruptly and quickly becomes intense. The beginning of your relationship is promising, and you can’t imagine anything will ever change.
Subtle red flags
Amid your honeymoon phase, you slowly start noticing that things feel off. Your other half suddenly starts saying or doing things that make a lump rise in your throat. You ignore this against your better judgment and choose to look at your partner through rose-colored glasses.
Codependency
Since you’re spending every waking minute together, it’s only a matter of time before the karmic connection will turn into a codependent relationship. You’re so invested in this person that it becomes an obsession and their behavior dictates your happiness and overall mood.
Codependency is a severe issue in these relationships because you start feeling possessive, jealous, and doubtful. You might think this is normal when you love someone so much, but not having any personal space within a relationship is extremely unhealthy and toxic.
Constant drama
If you managed to disregard your intuition before, you wouldn’t be able to do so once the drama starts. What used to be petty squabbles turn into colossal arguments with lots of screaming and blaming one another for everything.
The moment when the true nature of your relationships surfaces is one of the most turbulent karmic relationship stages. Your emotional conflicts will often result in breakups. Of course, you’ll make up after a few days — only to break up again after the following fiery argument.
An emotional rollercoaster
It’s challenging to maintain a relationship with persons with known mental health issues, but what when there aren’t any? You have one day of pure happiness and fiery passion, only to spoil it with another day of fighting and anguish and never know why or how it’s come to that.
The intensity of your relationship is a two-way street because it flares up both the positive and the negative emotions, so one minute you’re in love but can’t stand each other in the next. Although you’re both exhausted, your addiction to each other won’t let you break it off.
Bringing out the worst in you
No matter how in love you are, you realize your karmic partner brings out all your demons. You usually keep your composure and avoid conflicts, but now you can’t control yourself and begin a screaming contest with your partner over nothing.
Your partner seems to be feeding on your insecurities. The jealousy and possessiveness take over, so you’re both afraid of losing each other, or worse, that somehow you’ll ruin your relationship — ending up doing just that.
Not being yourself
Just like your partner exposes your negative side, you feel like you can never fully relax and be who you are with them. The things that made them love you now annoy you and you constantly question yourself and try to indulge them.
The relationship might have felt like home at first, but now your karmic soulmate is never satisfied with you, and it’s like you can’t do anything right anymore.
Fear of the end
Even though you’re now fully aware of the toxicity in your relationship, you develop abandonment issues and constantly walk on eggshells because you know each argument might end up in a separation.
The fear of abandonment prevails over your unhappiness, so you lull yourself into thinking it’s better to stay with the devil you know because it could probably be worse.
Repeating patterns
The karmic cycle is a vicious one, and soon you notice you’ve been here before. You wage the same wars, and you never come to a resolution, often separate but find each other again. The fact that you keep coming back to each other only intensifies the illusion of invincible love.
Spying on your partner
Your partner’s behavior triggers jealousy and distrust, so you can’t help but check their phone for suspicious texts or calls. You stalk their social media constantly looking for signs of infidelity and never find anything, but you just can’t shake off that persistent gut feeling.
One-sided relationship
You only get what you give doesn’t apply to karmic relationships. You’ll often suffer due to your partner’s selfishness and feel like you’re investing more effort in the relationship than they are.
Your dance on thin ice continues as you try to make your partner happy, mostly in vain. Never being good enough is emotionally damaging, and your partner’s behavior often feels like abuse. Still, you justify it by saying it’s your fault they’re treating you the way they are.
How to End a Karmic Relationship
As a movie quote says, “People tend to stay in relationships past their expiration date.” Breaking up with the person you clicked with on a deep level is agonizing because you linger in a state of denial that the numerous red flags are just your imagination.
The toxic nature of this relationship hurts both partners because they don’t have the strength to break it off. It’s vital to learn the signs a karmic relationship is ending, especially if it’s evident that the relationship isn’t sustainable in the long run.
The relationship will become too much too soon, but it will be quite a while before you’re willing to accept it’s time for a final curtain call. Here are some key takeaways that can help you learn and grow.
Communication is of essence
Your relationship isn’t meant to last, but you can learn from past mistakes and communicate better with your next partner. Karmic partners never (or rarely) manage to break the cycle because they lack constructive communication.
Build your self-respect and self-confidence
Your self-images will likely be shattered after this relationship, so don’t neglect taking care of your mental health and working on yourself. There’s no need to wait until the relationship ends, though — demand respect from your partner if it’s clear you’re not getting it.
Don’t linger in a toxic relationship
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but not if you’re willfully sitting around and waiting for the next hit. A karmic relationship is toxic for both partners, and sooner or later, it will take its toll on your well-being, so learn when it’s time to go.
Forgive and forget
If you’re someone who likes holding grudges, you probably know by now it’s more damaging to you than the other person. Your partners and relationships don’t define you, so move on and leave them in the past where they belong.
Live and learn
You might not believe everything happens for a reason, but if you believe in the concept of karma, you know your actions dictate your future. Your karmic ordeal will have been for nothing if you don’t learn from your mistakes, which is the main purpose of karmic relationships.
Karmic Relationships Types
There’s no feeling more powerful than finding your soul’s missing half, which is how karmic bonds feel. Whether it’s really a soul connection or just amazing chemistry between you, there are other types of these magnetic bonds.
You’re familiar with soulmates, but do you know what a twin flame is? These soul connections are similar to karmic ones but with a twist — they’re not toxic, and they don’t have to end in tears, but quite the contrary. Let’s talk about these types of karmic relationships.
Soulmate relationship
You always know you’ve met your soulmate because your connection feels larger than life. The love, understanding, and passion you share seem limitless, and no one else can make you feel that way.
A soulmate relationship feels like you’re finally with whom you were meant to be. The flame of love is long-lasting, even eternal because your bond transcends this world and anything else you ever felt.
Karmic Relationship vs. Soulmate
Unlike karmic flames, soulmates are not toxic and frustrating. You can be who you are with your soulmate and don’t have to worry about not being good enough for them — you’re all they’ve ever wanted, and the feeling is mutual.
On the other hand, a soulmate is not there to teach you anything or change you. Your connection is pure acceptance of your virtues and flaws, but it’s fueled by deep and unconditional love — just like a fairy tale come true.
Twin flame relationship
Twin flames are a blend of soulmates and karmic flames. The story has a familiar beginning — you meet a person who is your mirror image, immediately fall head over heels, and develop an intense relationship.
Karmic Relationship vs. Twin Flame
Although twin flames are intense and often turbulent, they’re not toxic either. Quite the contrary — your twin flame will encourage you to change for the better until you achieve your maximum potential. They teach you self-love and acceptance and inspire you to grow.
More importantly, your twin flame is not necessarily a romantic partner but also a close friend. In any case, meeting them changed your life, and they hold a special place in your heart.
Bottom line
When two people are united by karma, they can expect a wild ride filled with intense emotions. The key to understanding these relationships is to accept what they’re teaching you and gain something from them, even if they’re only transient.
We hope our guide has taught you to recognize karmic relationship stages and signs and embrace the challenging path of growth they leave behind. You can learn so much about yourself in a relationship like this, so seize the chance and become a better you.
FAQ
Can a karmic relationship work?
These relationships are not meant to last, but they can work. Both partners need to make conscious efforts to regain stability and rebuild trust and understanding. They need to learn how to communicate without hurting each, possibly through couple therapy. The mutual effort might pay off, and you can turn your karmic lover into a soulmate.
How does a karmic relationship start?
An instant spark lights karmic flames — it’s love at first sight. You feel overwhelmingly attracted to this person, and you don’t know how you lived without them before. You ignore any red flags and are hopelessly infatuated with your partner until your relationship reveals its true face.
What is a karmic soulmate?
Karmic soulmates share an intense love connection that sometimes feels too good to be true. You quickly say, “I love you,” make plans for the future, and the relationship moves at a fast pace. You share everything and understand each other at a deeper level, as no one else can.
On the other hand, your codependency causes a lot of turmoil and may turn the relationship toxic, and this is how you know you’re simply not with the right person. Karmic soulmates may or may not end up together, but they teach us invaluable lessons about ourselves we can use to improve our next relationships.
Can karmic relationships be soulmates?
Karmic flames are definitely soulmates to an extent because they share the undeniable compatibility and chemistry developed between the partners. However, the toxic nature of these relationships differs from the healing powers of a genuine soulmate relationship.
