Can you rebuild trust after cheating?
Cheating can devastate you, your partner, and the relationship.
If you learn that your partner has cheated, you may automatically assume that it signifies the end of the relationship. Or, if you were the one who cheated, you may think your partner will never forgive you.
The truth is, that version of your relationship is over.
If you’ve only been together a short time and don’t have any real ties to each other, you can easily walk away and end the relationship.
It’s more complicated if you’re married, have kids, or own a house together. You may want to fight to keep the relationship alive.
So can you rebuild trust after cheating?
It won’t be an easy process, but it’s possible. It takes time and effort, and you may want to hire a therapist to help you through the difficulties.
Because you’ll be rebuilding what you had, you must accept that the old version of your relationship is dead. You have to start from scratch and slowly allow yourself to trust again.
In a previous blog, I wrote about how you shouldn’t tell your partner if you cheated. If you want to keep the current relationship you have with each other, you shouldn’t ever mention it. Of course, you should also stop cheating and do some internal work to figure out why you strayed in the first place.
However, if you decide to tell your partner you cheated, it means you’re willing to give up your current relationship. You can rebuild the trust after cheating, but then you’ll be transitioning into a brand new relationship, even if it’s with the same person.
A common reaction to being cheated on is feeling hurt and betrayed, and you need to let yourself feel all the pain and heartache that’s tearing you up inside. It’s unhealthy to bottle up or ignore your emotions during this stressful time. Check out this article for more helpful advice about building trust after cheating.
You can mend the relationship you have with your partner as long as you are both determined to make it work. Cheating does not necessarily signify the end of your time together. Instead, it signifies the end of that version of your relationship.