The Image You See First In This Visual Test Reveals Your Greatest Weakness In Relationships
What troubles do you face in relationships?
As strange as it may seem, it's often relatively easy to get a good sense of other people's personalities, while it can take entire lifetimes for us to get a real handle on our own.
That's because we all carry around an idealized version of who we are in our heads, and with good reason. After all, you can't fixate on your negative qualities and expect to get very far in life.
But if we're willing to dig just a little deeper, we can find in the darkest corners of ourselves information that helps us become happier, successful, and well-rounded in every sphere of our lives, especially in our romantic relationships.
With this personality test, you can determine your greatest weakness in relationships.
And it couldn't be easier. Just quickly look at the image below and make a note of the first thing you see. Then, once you've done that, find out what the image you saw first says about your greatest weakness in relationships.
1. If you saw the bound man
If you looked at this picture and the first thing you saw was the image of the bound man between the two trees, your greatest weakness in relationships is that your personality is in near-constant conflict.
Now, don't worry. This doesn't necessarily mean that you are literally in conflict with the world around you. If anything, it's far more likely that you regularly battle a war within yourself, and in order to find lasting love with another person, you must be able to find a sense of love from within.
If you can't love yourself, how are you going to love someone else? You struggle so hard to accept yourself, your strengths, your weaknesses and everything in between, that you are missing out on just loving yourself.
The battle for inner peace isn't easily achieved, but you deserve a break from the inner turmoil every once in a while. Respect yourself for doing all that hard inner work, let yourself off the hook, embrace yourself and then love will come.
2. If you saw the fence
If you looked at this picture and the first thing you saw was the image of a fence in the middle of the field, your greatest weakness in love is your tendency to close yourself off from the rest of the world.
This doesn't mean you're a lost cause, and it doesn't even mean your heart is more damaged than most people's, but it does mean that unless you're willing to take a risk and open your heart at some point soon, you just might miss out on a chance at real love.
It's an easy, normal, and totally natural thing to try and protect yourself when you've been burned badly before, but if you keep a tall wall or a fence around your heart completely, not only can no one else get in, but it's going to be hard for you to get out.
And while putting up barriers is easy to do, taking them down is hard, so don't be afraid to start small. Get to know people slowly, at a pace that feels safe to you, while always making sure that you keep moving forward. If you risk nothing, you gain nothing.
3. If you saw the boat
If the first thing you saw was the image of the suspended boat and the nest filled with eggs, your weak spot when it comes to love is that you set standards so high no human on Earth can possibly meet them.
It's important to know what you're looking for in love and to make sure you don't settle, but it's possible to create a list of "must-haves" that is so narrowly defined it prevents you from missing out on making a match with someone who could tick a bunch of other boxes you never even thought to consider.
There's no shame in wanting a family, an amazing career, and a partner who loves all of the same things that you do, but when you get more and more specific in your aspirations for love, you disconnect from the reality of what love is.
Absolutely hold on to your dreams and do hold the people who come into your life as potential romantic partners to a high standard. However, be mindful that your perfect picture of the future could be keeping you from the love you were destined to find.
4. If you saw the skull
If you looked at this picture and saw the image of the skull, your greatest weakness in relationships is your tendency to become overwhelmed with anxiety and worry on every front.
You might have an anxiety disorder or you might just be your average Joe worry wart, but either way, your tendency to be overly cautious can keep you from seeing many of the details that make life most beautiful, and that includes the seeing your potential soulmate when they're standing right next to you.
It's good to be a little cautious at times and to make sure you look before you leap, but only when leaping actually means jumping off a precipice.
When it comes to love, you'll waste time and miss opportunities if you spend too much time worrying about all of the different ways it could go wrong. There are always going to be things that make us anxious, but we shouldn't this stop us from actually living our lives and finding the love we deserve.
You don't need to hide your fears from your partner either. In fact, you might find that opening up to them leads to the two of you becoming even closer.
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a freelance writer, editor, former Senior Editor of Pop Culture at Newsweek, and former Senior Staff Writer for YourTango. She has a passion for lifestyle, geek news, and true crime topics. Her bylines have appeared on Fatherly, Bustle, SheKnows, Jezebel, and many others.