Irina Zhuravleva

Are there other people-pleasers out there who recognize this pattern — where you can’t bring up feeling alone or neglected on the good days because...

The universe keeps a harsh equilibrium. Every deed invites a counterforce. Every ounce of emotional investment you give to someone can come with a cost....

Nobody can truly love you well if you haven’t become aware of the repeating patterns you keep slipping into. Consider this: have you ever been...

They vanished without a word three months ago — no farewell, no explanation, just silence. Then, in the small hours last night, at 2:08 a.m.,...

If you find yourself wondering, “Is this relationship worth salvaging?” it usually means you’re stuck in one of three painful scenarios. First, you may be...

“Marriages die in the conversations that never happen” — that line, attributed to Dr. John Gutman who has examined thousands of couples, sums up a...

I’m about to say something that will make 99 percent of women furious — ready? Sometimes it’s acceptable for a man to say, “I’m sorry...

No, no — truly, it would be an honor; please, I insist. That’s incredibly kind of you, but I must press you again: no, I...

Growing up in an environment marked by emotional neglect or cruelty trains your nervous system to respond by withdrawing. You stop crying. You stop protesting....

Many men leave comments accusing me of hating men or trying to put men below women, and nothing could be further from the truth. I...

One thing that both intrigues and alarms me is how those who seek to control and manipulate others seem to instinctively recognize that people with...

Have you ever noticed that sudden, hard-to-name change? One minute the atmosphere between you feels warm and alive — real connection, tangible possibility. You feel...

I keep thinking there ought to be a simple checklist to tell you if the person you’re dating is a narcissist — that would be...

When an avoidant ex comes to the slow recognition that the most valuable thing they ever had was you, it doesn’t land like a thunderclap....

Have you ever stared at someone you adore and felt like your words were dissolving into emptiness? You reach for any sign of intimacy, any...

Our romantic partners are not our dependents, so it becomes problematic when we end up managing everything for them while they fail to contribute their...

I think we waste too much energy trying to label our partner as a narcissist instead of simply acknowledging that certain behaviors are unacceptable. Ultimately,...

Why do avoidant partners act with contempt toward you? That question doesn’t just float through your mind — it lands hard in your chest because...

Have you ever watched an avoidant partner disappear the moment things start to deepen, only to reappear weeks or months later as if nothing happened?...

Some people act difficult because they carry pain; others behave that way because inflicting pain gives them a sense of power. In both cases, if...

Make no mistake. This isn’t a tale about a broken heart — it’s a judgment on poor choices, a meticulous bill itemizing every cost of...

Healthy relationships always require the active participation of two people; there’s simply no shortcut. Intimacy, trust and emotional safety emerge when both partners contribute —...

I can say with absolute confidence: saying “I love you” alone won’t preserve a relationship. Love by itself is insufficient — intimacy demands far more...

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,...