Irina Zhuravleva

Today I want to tackle a difficult question: should you change for your partner? The short answer is no — don’t alter who you are...

Being raised amid abuse and neglect nearly always saps a person of their natural strength. You begin to doubt your worth, lose faith in your...

Okay, this is a little bit of a rant, but whenever I try to offer relationship guidance — even when I start by saying that...

One of the surest ways to slowly destroy a relationship is chronic people-pleasing. Not everyone naturally becomes a people pleaser — it often grows out...

The single most potent way to create genuinely meaningful connections with others is to make them feel heard. People crave that — and doing it...

This is not merely a relationship with routine highs and lows. What you’re caught in is a deliberate psychological scheme. The avoidant person in your...

It comes on an otherwise ordinary day. Maybe it’s a Tuesday evening — you’re halfway through a film and finally feeling like yourself again. Or...

Listen — I’ll be honest: I haven’t always been the kind of partner she needed. I dismissed her emotions and, without realizing it, I ignored...

You tell yourself you’re keeping safe. You believe that withdrawing is a sign of toughness. But imagine if the habit you adopted to survive has...

Please listen closely—this matters. Your ex cannot take your place, and I’ll explain exactly why. If you’re reading this, you’re probably sorting through the fallout...

There’s a clear theme that keeps appearing in people who tell me they don’t really know themselves — they’re unsure of their tastes, their hopes,...

Okay, so today’s focus is on the things men often do that damage a marriage — and yes, you might be tempted to forward this...

There’s a huge, almost universal thing that sparks childhood-PTSD symptoms — and chances are you’ve got it too. It’s so common that most people never...

Your body is far more honest about what’s happening in a relationship than your mind. While you busy yourself inventing explanations for their mood swings,...

Men, sometimes when she goes quiet it’s not meant to punish you, and sometimes her pulling away isn’t about getting even — it can be...

How does it feel when you try to be part of a group? For many of us who grew up this way, adulthood often brings...

The world will try to teach my daughter that her worth lies in her appearance, that a “good” girl stays quiet, obedient, and always puts...

People often throw around the phrase “trauma bond,” but what does it actually signify? Many assume it simply means two wounded people connecting because they...

All right — how much blame should the betrayed partner carry for an affair that occurred within a marriage? That’s an important question. Ultimately, remember...

Have you ever stopped pursuing someone and noticed the energy in the room shift? One moment you’re sending messages, explaining yourself, doing everything to keep...

Listen: if you find yourself tempted to cheat on your spouse, you owe it to everyone involved to speak up — even if it feels...

One consequence of past trauma is that it can shape behaviors—often around sex and money—that society judges harshly. Those actions can create stigma that follows...

Your sense of who you are — and therefore what you can imagine for your future — is woven from the narratives you repeat to...

One of the toughest realities to swallow when you’re in love with someone who consistently withdraws is this: the more you pursue them, the more...