Irina Zhuravleva

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...

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...

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’ve been flooded with messages from people who feel deceived by their partners — in the beginning their significant other was charismatic, affectionate and seemingly...

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...

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...

If you have feelings for someone but keep them hidden because you know they aren’t really available, pretending it’s “just friendship,” don’t be astonished when...

Sometimes silence speaks louder than any shout. It does not scream, chase, or beg; it simply exists. Yet everything can shift when someone who habitually...

From reading hundreds of letters sent by people who follow this channel, certain patterns emerge. One particularly worrying indicator that someone is deteriorating in an...

Pay attention, because this may sound counterintuitive at first: the quickest way to stop letting an avoidant partner — the one who flees closeness, shuts...

What ultimately undoes an anxious–avoidant pair is rarely a deficit of affection. Both people would probably insist they care deeply for one another. The real...

A people-pleaser is someone who suppresses their genuine reactions during interactions, abandoning their own choices about what to do, what to say, and who to...

When we discuss trauma, we often concentrate on the outward expressions — the outbursts, the acting out — but there’s another way trauma steers your...

That sickening twist in your stomach when someone you love — someone you’ve been pouring effort into — suddenly acts as though you don’t matter:...

Imagine if you began responding to them exactly as they respond to you. Imagine if you invested in this relationship only to the same degree...

There is a nearly universal, powerful trigger for symptoms of childhood PTSD — and chances are you experience it. Many people do, not only those...

If you grew up with trauma, you already know how past experiences can resurface and set off thoughts, reactions and habits that undermine your performance...

Love itself doesn’t cause pain. People who haven’t learned how to love do. Sit with that for a second. If you have ever been in...

When a disagreement turns into your partner being critical, how should you respond? First, it helps to recognise that criticism and complaint are not the...

Pleasing others will almost certainly wreck your relationships — and many of you are guilty of it. You might ask: Jimmy, how do I tell...

Listen: I can’t fix a relationship unless both partners agree to a shared set of principles and values. If even one person refuses to live...

People often remain in harmful relationships because the mistreatment is not constant. In trauma bonds especially, a pattern of unpredictable kindness and cruelty conditions the...

When an entire family turns on one of its members, it is a profoundly harmful form of abuse. Sometimes this takes the shape of scapegoating,...

Discover how well you know your partner with fun questions, quizzes, and tips to boost connection and nurture your relationship.