3 Signs Its Safe To Trust Again After Your Partner Cheated

Women's Dating

3 Signs It’s Safe to Trust Again After Your Partner Cheated

Susie & Otto Collins

Written by: Susie & Otto Collins

Susie & Otto Collins

Susie and Otto Collins are relationship coaches and authors as well as soul mates, best friends and lovers. Since 1999, Susie and Otto have been sharing their message with men and women all over the globe about how to attract love and keep the spark alive. They are the authors of "Automatic Attraction Secrets," "Magic Relationship Words," "No More Jealousy" and many other books, audios and programs. Find out how to create and keep a happy and lasting love relationship with Susie and Otto Collins’ free ebook "Passionate Spark~Lasting Love."

Edited by: Lillian Castro

Lillian Castro

Lillian Guevara-Castro brings more than 30 years of journalism experience to ensure DatingAdvice articles have been edited for overall clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement. She has worked at The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, The Gwinnett Daily News, and The Gainesville Sun covering lifestyle topics.

See full bio »
Discuss This! Discuss This!
Advertiser Disclosure

Jennifer is unsure. She doesn’t know if giving her boyfriend a second chance after he cheated was a good idea.

Her mother and sister call her naive and her friends have told her their concerns.

It seems everyone around Jennifer thinks she’s making a big mistake. They’re worried she’ll get hurt again.

She has the same worry.

Even though Jennifer’s family and friends caution her about trusting her boyfriend too easily, it does seem like he’s trying to change.

He’s told her he’s sorry over and over again. He texts and emails with her throughout the day. He lets her know what he’s doing and who he’s spending time with when they’re not together.

Jennifer appreciates her boyfriend’s efforts, but there is still nagging doubt. She is afraid this is all temporary and, at some point when she least expects it, he’ll cheat again.

Stay awake and aware.

If you are with a partner who lied or cheated in the past, it’s important to stay awake and aware.

We do NOT advise you to make it your goal to catch your mate in a lie, but we do recommend you pay close attention.

Pay attention to what your partner says and does. Notice how open or how closed down and distant he is with you.

This is a time to really focus in on the reliable proof you have — proof you’re being told the truth or proof something is not adding up.

Reteach yourself how (and when) to trust.

Rebuilding trust after an affair can take time.

You probably aren’t going to wake up one day and all of your hesitation will magically be gone. It rarely happens this way.

Instead, you’re going to need to reteach yourself how to trust.

You’re going to want to be wise about this and, as we said, stay awake and aware of observable information you have about your partner and your relationship.

Make sure you are giving your mate credit when he does do something that is trustworthy.

Too often the betrayal of the past is held onto and it overshadows what’s going on now, which might actually be hopeful and positive.

Don’t cling to your anger and resentment about your partner’s cheating. Take the time to process your emotions and let them go.

Keep reminding yourself of what your partner is doing right now and how he has possibly changed recently.

Ultimately, we advise you to be wise. There is no guarantee your partner will not betray you again (or that he will).

But you can watch your partner and listen to your own inner wisdom. Make the decision about whether or not to trust based on what you observe.

“When you experience a renewed sense

of openness, it’s wise to trust again.”

Three signs it’s wise to trust again:

1. Your partner’s words match his actions.

It’s true actions speak louder than words.

It can be comforting to hear your partner say “I’m sorry” for the affair, but it is truly healing to see consistent actions that show your partner is making amends.

When you see your partner is keeping promises and agreements the two of you made, this is significant.

If there seem to be inconsistencies between your partner’s words and actions, look a little deeper before making an accusation.

Because of the past cheating, your suspicions might come up more quickly. Ask yourself if it is possible there are other valid reasons why your partner didn’t keep his word.

2. Your partner is honest when it’s difficult.

Keep in mind sometimes inconsistencies don’t mean your partner is having another affair.

If your relationship has been strained, your partner might lie as a way to avoid jealousy, a fight or looking guilty (when actually innocent).

It can get tricky to know what’s true, so try not to jump to conclusions.

This is why it is a really big deal when your partner IS honest and upfront with you about a difficult topic.

When your partner admits he did get a text from his ex or he did run into that girl from work who flirts with him, give credit for the honesty.

The temptation might be to hide something that could seem suspicious, but your partner chose to tell you about it instead. Keep your cool and acknowledge this.

Again, look at the verifiable facts and ask yourself whether or not what you’re being told makes logical sense.

3. There is a new openness.

Remember, when your partner is honest about conflicting or painful emotions or opinions that are different from your own, this is another demonstration of trust.

In so many cases of infidelity, there was a distance between the two people before the cheating occurred.

While it was your partner’s decision to cheat, you may have played a role in this distance forming.

When you experience a new or renewed sense of openness in your relationship, this is another sign it’s wise to trust again.

The openness might relate to practical matters — like your partner being transparent about actions and people he has been spending time with.

There also could be an emotional openness.

Your partner might do some soul searching about why he cheated in the first place and share that discovery with you. He could confide in you about some deep feelings you didn’t know about before.

This sense of openness is a gift you can also give in return, as you are ready.

Advertiser Disclosure

DatingAdvice.com is a free online resource that offers valuable content and comparison services to users. To keep this resource 100% free, we receive compensation from many of the offers listed on the site. Along with key review factors, this compensation may impact how and where products appear across the site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). DatingAdvice.com does not include the entire universe of available offers. Editorial opinions expressed on the site are strictly our own and are not provided, endorsed, or approved by advertisers.

Our Editorial Review Policy

Our site is committed to publishing independent, accurate content guided by strict editorial guidelines. Before articles and reviews are published on our site, they undergo a thorough review process performed by a team of independent editors and subject-matter experts to ensure the content’s accuracy, timeliness, and impartiality. Our editorial team is separate and independent of our site’s advertisers, and the opinions they express on our site are their own. To read more about our team members and their editorial backgrounds, please visit our site’s About page.