Irina Zhuravleva

One thing needs to be understood right away: someone who avoids intimacy rarely returns with bouquets and apologies. They won’t show up soaked in rain...

Have you ever loved someone who withdraws each time closeness grows? Someone who appears composed on the outside, yet you can sense the quiet tempests...

Your body tells the truth about relationships in ways your mind often won’t. While you rationalize their inconsistent behavior, try to explain away their emotional...

Avoidant partners can wound the psyche in deep and lasting ways — and often they do so without even realizing the harm they cause. It’s...

They left and didn’t turn back. At least that’s the way it appears. One moment you share a bed, make plans, maybe even whisper about...

We live amid a constant clamor of prescriptions about how to live: everyone seems to have an answer. Some insist it’s all about willpower and...

Few things shape the quality of life more than the condition of our closest relationships. Keep in mind that a year from now your relational...

Have you ever known you were being mistreated and reacted by trying to become exactly who you thought the other person wanted? Changing yourself completely...

Okay — I hope you’ll agree that I’m effective at calling men out on this channel and encouraging them to learn about intimacy, validation, and...

What Kelly is trying to convey, as I understand it, is that she needs more affection from you that isn’t sexual. I’m sorry — did...

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...

If you take a look at the people you keep inviting into your life — friends, partners, coworkers, landlords — and notice an unusually large...

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...

You may believe you’re prepared for a true, committed relationship, but if you keep pouring all your emotional and romantic energy into someone who is...

hey, are you the wife translator? yeah, so what are we dealing with here? hey, thanks for coming. honestly, I didn’t think we’d need a...

Men — a fair warning: at some point in a healthy relationship your partner will approach you from a place of vulnerability, asking or hinting...

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...

Why does she appear to get on my nerves even more when I have to wrap up work at home? For instance, I might be...

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...

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...

Have you ever spoken up in a group and felt like no one registered your words, only to hear someone else repeat the exact same...

How can someone know if an avoidant person actually feels regret about losing them when no words are spoken? Pause on that — it’s the...

Okay — imagine you bring up something that matters to you in a calm, respectful way, but your partner still reacts as if you’ve attacked...

There’s no chance of winning if every morning you wake up and face a constant stream of food choices all day long—your willpower will be...