Many couples make the mistake of thinking things will work themselves out because the chemistry is right between them. There’s nothing worse than ruining a great relationship because of some avoidable mistakes.

Couples should avoid these common relationship mistakes that destroy beautiful love stories and relationships.

Many people lie for different reasons. One of the most common reasons for lying is to impress someone you have just met. This happens often early in a relationship, where you like someone and want them to think highly of you. It could be about how much money you make or exaggerating some past accomplishment. At the time, it seems totally harmless.

But lies are never innocent. They build on each other, as more and more lies need to be told to protect the first one. Eventually, it will come out, and the longer it takes, the more lies will come crashing down when it happens. Be yourself from the start. Don’t lie, no matter how good it sounds or how innocent it seems.

There’s no way that this one wasn’t going to make the list. Cheating is the ultimate betrayal in a relationship. It’s never okay to cheat, so just don’t do it. If it gets to the point where you need to become intimate with someone other than your partner, then you need to break off your original relationship. Trying to hide it and lie about it will catch up with you, and it will destroy the relationship and everything you’ve already put into it.

Oftentimes in a relationship, there will be something bothering you that doesn’t seem like a big deal. It will feel easier to just ignore it. Be careful when doing this though, because these things tend to grow and get worse. They almost never just go away on their own. You have to communicate. You may be dreading confronting your partner about it, but compared to the hardship over the long-run, and the jeopardy you are putting your relationship in, it’s much easier to bring it up early and trash it once and for all than to allow it fester and give rise to bitterness.

Many of the most common problems for couples occur in the bedroom. Meeting each other’s physical needs is just as important in a relationship as fulfilling your emotional needs. While not all sexual issues can be resolved by talking, most of them can.

It’s crucial to set the tone early in the relationship, to one where you can talk openly to each other about sex, and offer help and criticism to each other. For many people, this can be embarrassing or difficult to bring up. Just do it in a kind and positive way.

For some people, there are some things that are mandatory for the emotional health of the relationship. This can include date nights, hand holding, cuddling, or simply saying “I love you.” Everyone is different on this score, but your partner surely has some of these needs, as do you.

If you are not meeting them, you are making a big mistake. Of course, you have got to find the balance that both of you are comfortable with by coming up with some sort of compromise when it comes to what you both want.

Having good communication is essential to a successful relationship. Being a good communicator is about more than just saying what must be said. You have to be a good listener as well. It’s okay to criticize your partner, as long as it’s constructive. A couple that can freely communicate the bad as well as the good, are a couple that will thrive and grow, and stay together for a long, long time.

Sometimes, two people are just incompatible, but they don’t always realize this right away. This one is a mistake committed by both of you, and one with no solution except to end things. Try to do this in a polite and respectful way. Once you have figured out that you are not right for each other, there’s no sense in trying to hurt one another over it. You may even end up being good friends eventually.