Mav20 yesterday, September 10, was a social-emotional day in which students were to watch a TED Talk about healthy and unhealthy relationships. 

The lesson was seemingly interrupted by band students playing their instruments for a spirit week activity. 

Students’ attention was drawn away from the video and to the hallways where the band was playing. 

The video was very informational because it went over key signs and behaviors of healthy and unhealthy relationships, and how you should help yourself and/or your friends if you notice it happening. 

However, the message did not get across to all students or teachers due to the distraction. So, to briefly go over what was possibly missed, here are some important signs speaker Katie Hood discussed. 

It can start out subtle, “like guilting a friend into spending time with you or sneaking a peek at your partner’s texts,” but can turn into more physical abuse quickly. Someone who’s willing to harm you even a little in the first place will most likely have thought about hurting you in worse ways if the relationship continues. 

The “five markers of unhealthy love” are intensity, isolation, extreme jealousy, belittling, and volatility. 

“It can be really hard to see when unhealthy love turns towards abuse, but it’s fair to say that the more of these markers your relationship might have, the more unhealthy and maybe dangerous your relationship could be.” 

The message being: signs are sometimes not as obvious as you’d like them to be. Noticing them early on can save you or a friend from a harmful relationship.