Irina Zhuravleva

Okay — a straightforward question: how do I talk to my partner without them feeling attacked or shutting down? How can I bring up something...

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

I’ll always remember the moment I learned there was an actual label for the confusing feelings, odd actions, and repeated mistakes that had shadowed me...

Think about it — the same things we did to win her over are exactly the things we need to keep doing to maintain her...

You cannot keep playing the avoidance game forever. Time evens everything out. The wall you assembled around your heart, brick by brick, telling yourself it...

The single thing that terrifies a toxic person more than almost anything else is when you draw firm boundaries — because boundaries remove their power....

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

“Don’t go to bed angry,” “a good relationship means never having to say you’re sorry,” “your partner should complete you,” and “your relationship’s purpose is...

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

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...

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...

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...

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

Work is one of the worst places to fall for someone you can’t—or shouldn’t—pursue. It can destroy your happiness, harm theirs, devastate your spouse, and...

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...

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,...