Irina Zhuravleva

One thing needs to be understood right away: someone who avoids intimacy rarely returns with bouquets and apologies. They won’t show up soaked in rain...

They left and didn’t turn back. At least that’s the way it appears. One moment you share a bed, make plans, maybe even whisper about...

People instinctively crave justice. Deep down we need to feel assured that the damage inflicted on us as children was wrong — that it should...

Chances are you’ve heard that the single most widespread phobia is public speaking — roughly three out of four people feel nervous at the thought...

Here’s the strange truth about attraction: an avoidant person is pulled toward closeness as desperately as they need air, yet they recoil from it as...

Your body tells the truth about relationships in ways your mind often won’t. While you rationalize their inconsistent behavior, try to explain away their emotional...

People with avoidant tendencies seldom repeat “I love you” a hundred times a day, yet that fact doesn’t mean their feelings are shallow. Quite the...

Do you ever notice something almost nobody will admit aloud? Some of the cruelest forms of harm in close relationships are quiet, nonphysical, and they...

Listen: marriage can sometimes feel even lonelier than single life, and it’s easy to be swept up in the fairy-tale emotions of the wedding day....

Have you ever loved someone who withdraws each time closeness grows? Someone who appears composed on the outside, yet you can sense the quiet tempests...

All right — many ask for communication strategies that actually help their partner hear them without becoming defensive, shutting down, or erupting. This is a...

Few things shape the quality of life more than the condition of our closest relationships. Keep in mind that a year from now your relational...

Have you ever known you were being mistreated and reacted by trying to become exactly who you thought the other person wanted? Changing yourself completely...

Many people insist that they should never have to change for their partner. To be clear: change is often necessary. As Tim Keller observes in...

People fall in love every day — it’s effortless and happens to anyone with a heartbeat — but staying in love is a different challenge....

Tell me if this sounds like you. You grew up in a dysfunctional home. To survive, you built your whole identity around the qualities others...

I didn’t realize for a long time that I was trapped in a toxic partnership. Looking back, I couldn’t tell which warning signs deserved my...

How can someone know if an avoidant person actually feels regret about losing them when no words are spoken? Pause on that — it’s the...

Men — a fair warning: at some point in a healthy relationship your partner will approach you from a place of vulnerability, asking or hinting...

Why does she appear to get on my nerves even more when I have to wrap up work at home? For instance, I might be...

You follow every piece of advice you’re given—go to therapy, practice breathing, stay optimistic, exercise, repeat affirmations, be gentle with others, grieve, honor your feelings—yet...

Have you ever paused to ask what finally makes someone with avoidant tendencies stop running? Like, what moment pushes them to confront themselves, do the...

Okay — imagine you bring up something that matters to you in a calm, respectful way, but your partner still reacts as if you’ve attacked...

We triple-dare you to bring up these questions the next time an argument erupts. Are you seriously that upset? I’m fired up, man — there’s...