7 ways to compromise without being a pushover

Text: Karen Khng
Photos: Getty Images

“Relationships need compromise” is so clichéd that most of us have forgotten what it truly means.

Everybody starts off willing and ready to compromise. But sometimes you find yourself in a weird orbit and land up in a relationship spaceship you didn’t originally sign up for – it’s either his way or his dark side. He only compromises when he wants something from you – money, sex, you doing his household chores (buy the roach killer, scrape the god awful lizard poop off the wall - wait, isn’t that a man’s job?).

Compromises, compromises
Problem is, most people don’t compromise fairly. They cave in to pressure and find it easier to give in, resulting in un-retractable resentment.

Good compromises propagate a feel-good vibe; affirming that bending for the greater good of the union was a good decision. It can be as unimportant as taking turns to movie pick for movie night, or as serious as agreeing only to vacation with parents-in-law once in 2 years instead of twice a year and not avoiding them in the days between. Bad compromise, on the other hand, compromises who you are. It doesn’t just request a change of habits and routine, it actually re-sculpts the original you into someone less authentic. Confused? Here’s how to look at compromise differently.