codependency

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5 Bad Habits I Won't Repeat In A Relationship Again

I broke my bad habits after I took a full year to be completely single and establish my self-worth, and fully love and accept myself and past mistakes.

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How I’m Unlearning To People-Please

I do not remember a time in my life when I was not a people-pleaser. I apologize often, and unnecessarily. I'm finally unlearning to people-please!

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Taking care of yourself and conquering your people-pleasing ways doesn’t give you license to stop caring about other people’s feelings — especially your partner’s.

Is Your People Pleasing Personality Killing Your Relationship?

The problem with people pleasing: You’re trying so hard to be good. So how come you feel so bad?

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Al-anon is a solid starting point for dealing with a loved one's addiction crisis.

Ask Erin: Should I Lighten Up About My Partner’s Drug And Alcohol Use? 

She’s made all the mistakes, so you don’t have to… Ask Erin is a weekly advice column, in which Erin answers your burning questions about anyt

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Image credit: Thinkstock

Your Partner Had A Crappy Childhood; Is The Relationship Paying The Price?

Partners of those who grew up with tragic parenting are shocked by our capacity for self-loathing.

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I was consistently pondering this emptiness inside me.

Everything I've Learned About Living With Abandonment Issues

I grew up knowing my family always had its very own black cloud. Like a backyard pet that comes and goes when it pleases, a room locked but filled with things we weren’t allowed to look at or set free. And it was all passed down to me like some broken heirloom — my ancestor’s weaknesses and fears, swirled into DNA’s mad ritual. Does the body sometimes take into itself — take from its creators — what it cannot heal from? Sometimes, yes.

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We’re adults. If I haven’t responded within half an hour, it’s probably because I’ve got something going on. Image: Thinkstock.

I Love You, Stop Texting Me

There’s a big difference between talking and communicating. One exists to relay messages, ideas, and feelings: the building blocks of being a person. The other exists to fill time. I’m by no means here to tell people how to approach their relationships — I just don’t want people to feel pressured to fill silences with noise out of the fear their partners won’t think they care.

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