Irina Zhuravleva

When someone retreats from you, the instinctive reaction might be to chase after them, to reach out, or to try to close the sudden gap...

This one habit ends every conversation — not occasionally, not just with certain people, but every single time. The worst part is that if you...

The quickest way to undermine a relationship is to ignore what it requires to thrive. When people say, “You shouldn’t have needs in a relationship,”...

If you want to recover from the wounds left by childhood trauma, you will find yourself in a confrontation between forces that feel like good...

If you’re someone who gives freely, you must set boundaries, because people who take won’t do it for you. It’s admirable to be naturally selfless...

How many times have you asked for something that should have been simple and reasonable, only for it to erupt into another argument where they...

The hard truth is that roughly one out of every three romantic partnerships will face some form of infidelity — that’s the bleak part. The...

I’ve made some truly terrible choices in my life—really odd, self-sabotaging moves when it came to relationships, careers, and the ways I reacted in anger....

It can be incredibly confusing to weigh staying in a secure but uninspiring partnership against ending it to chase something more passionate, unpredictable, and risky—with...

Most people who have been in a relationship know what it’s like to fall in love, and many of us have also experienced the pain...

You know that moment when someone you love begins to drift — the messages taper off, the calls fade, silence takes over — and your...

Let me explain why the Golden Rule can actually work against your relationship. So what is the Golden Rule? In its simplest form it says:...

When disrespect in a relationship comes to mind, many picture explosive fights, slammed doors, or an obvious betrayal. But what if the harm is quiet?...

When a friend abruptly cuts you off and you can’t figure out why, the simplest explanation might be that the person wasn’t a suitable friend...

Imagine meeting someone genuinely kind, who’s emotionally available and treats you with respect. You’d think that would spark something, right? Yet sometimes you feel nothing...

There are everyday behaviors you repeat without noticing that quietly undermine your relationships, your self-esteem, and the life you could have. These aren’t dramatic meltdowns...

If you train someone over time to manage life without you, don’t be shocked when they eventually walk away. Commitment and fidelity mean far more...

Even rats become obsessed when rewards and care are repeatedly mixed with cruelty and isolation, so it’s not surprising that people raised with trauma often...

A few days ago a post explored how shutting down or stonewalling during an argument can leave a partner feeling unheard, isolated, and even abandoned,...

One night I was called into the hospital and found a man suffering a massive heart attack. We fought to save him for a long...

Nearly everyone who reaches out here to the Crappy Childhood Fairy describes having been invisible or misunderstood by their caregivers. Whether through neglect, substance use,...

There’s a pattern that comes from trauma where people move through life without ever truly committing to anything long-term — relationships, careers, communities, even the...

All right — the aim here is to help resolve the conflicts that are eroding your relationship. It may sound ambitious, but this is worth...

Among the warning signs I’ve learned to spot, one in particular always makes my alarm bells ring: when an adult claims they never want to...