Irina Zhuravleva

Listen — I don’t know which one of you needs to hear this, but it drains you when only one person seems to care about...

All right — if you arranged a spa day for your partner or encouraged her to spend Mother’s Day out with her friends, nice work....

There are two especially damaging ways that self-centered parents can shape how you relate to others: first, by not taking an interest in or supporting...

Okay, we’re live — hello everyone, and thanks for being here. It’s me, the Crappy Childhood Fairy, and Rob has been collecting your questions for...

Alright — as you probably know, Father’s Day is this Sunday, and I wanted to offer some thoughts on ways you might show your partner...

If a child grows up without enough emotional care, they can be especially likely to channel their romantic energy toward people who aren’t actually available....

There comes a point when words begin to lose their power. You have spoken everything that could be said, named every feeling, justified every silence,...

There is a particular kind of silence that exists inside intimate relationships — the hush that follows when you risk being vulnerable and are met...

The saddest part about childhood trauma, to me, is seeing so many people move through life with a battered spirit — their self-assurance, hope, and...

There’s a clear and crucial distinction between beneficial stress and harmful stress — and the main difference lies in duration, intensity and timing. Beneficial stress...

You don’t pursue someone because they’re inherently extraordinary. You pursue them because they withhold themselves. The scarcer their affection, the stronger your craving becomes. If...

If maintaining friendships feels challenging for you, this will be important to read. Losing friendships cuts deep. For those of us raised with traumatic experiences,...

Let me guess — they’ve gone quiet again. You’re glued to your phone, refreshing the screen, replaying the last conversation on repeat. Your thoughts are...

One major issue affecting countless people is staying in relationships that, realistically, have little chance of flourishing. Many remain stuck because nobody has clearly reminded...

“Hey, can I borrow your phone for a minute? I need to look something up.” “Where’s your phone?” “It’s in the other room.” “Can I...

The first time I ran across the phrase “emotional sobriety,” it shook me — not because I didn’t understand the words, but because it sounded...

It’s common to believe that once a severe traumatic chapter ends, everything should return to normal. The reality is different: after trauma you’re often fragile—not...

About one in three people — and a much larger share among younger generations — report feeling so stressed that most days they are utterly...

Alright — let’s get into this now. Do you want to know what the most devastating form of rejection is for that avoidant-dismissive person in...

I made a video joking about a husband who forgot his wife’s birthday, and someone commented, “maybe you should just remind them if it’s so...

Some of the most dangerous people you’ll ever encounter are the ones who never raise their voice. They won’t slam doors or hurl curses. Instead,...

Ending up in harmful partnerships is a common and painful outcome for people who experienced abuse and neglect growing up. When mistreatment was normal in...

The uncomfortable reality is that “nice guys” often don’t spark attraction in women. I know how that sounds, so hear me out for a minute...

Imagine being told that sometimes the most loving choice for a partnership is to stop having sex for a while — it sounds counterintuitive, but...