Irina Zhuravleva

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?...

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....

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.,...

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...

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...

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 —...

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...

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...

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...

Think of these two leaves as a picture of your relationship. I plucked them from the same flourishing plant—one received sunlight, water and good soil;...

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

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....

Have you ever wondered why the person who walked away from you can’t actually let you go? Even when they’re with someone new, even while...

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 you want to move from “getting by” to genuinely great intimacy, it helps to understand the four broad kinds people often talk about: physical...

Men — please don’t let your relationship fall apart the way mine did. I’m sharing this as a warning: by the time you finally say...

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

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...