Explore articles about self-love in relationships and post-breakup healing. Learn strategies to maintain independence, and regain happiness.
I didn’t become strong by tolerating less. I became strong by finally refusing more. There was a day I sat on my bathroom floor, knees pulled to my chest, staring at the tiles that had heard more of my truth than any person ever had. That day, something inside me snapped. Not loudly. Not in … Read more
It usually starts with a phone call or a story passed down the grapevine. My mother, teary-eyed, sighing dramatically, telling everyone how I abandoned her. That she “gave me everything,” and now I’m just cold and ungrateful. The first time I heard it, I felt like I’d been punched in the chest. My stomach dropped. … Read more
Some people inherit heirlooms. I inherited responsibility for everyone’s emotional mess. Since I can remember, I wasn’t just a daughter or a sister. I was the fixer. The peacemaker. The shock absorber. While others had space to fall apart, I was expected to hold it all together. Their pain? Handed to me, not with words, … Read more
When I have finally cut off the person who made me resent my own blood, I have felt at peace, as if every scar from the past is finally starting to heal. Then, one of my relatives reached out to me through text. Is this a chance to reconcile perhaps? Do they finally see my … Read more
It wasn’t my ex’s smear campaign that broke me. It was my sister who believed it. That kind of betrayal doesn’t just sting, it scrapes something raw inside you. You’re standing there trying to make sense of what just happened, but all you can feel is that deep, nauseating twist in your gut. It’s not … Read more
Narcissists don’t date weak women. They date women who intimidate them, then try to break them like a collectible trophy. I learned this the hard way with Shawn. He didn’t swipe right because I looked broken or desperate. He chose me because I had my shit together, successful career, my own place, clear boundaries, the … Read more
The narcissistic family system wasn’t broken; it was designed exactly as intended, with you at the bottom holding everyone else up. I figured this out at 35, sitting on my couch, eight months pregnant, after learning my sister’s biggest betrayal that she consciously did. The golden child smiled. The enablers nodded. And I suddenly saw … Read more
The uncomfortable “I have something to tell you, but I don’t want to get involved” expression. “He’s been asking about you again,” she said quietly. “And about your new boyfriend.” My stomach dropped. It had been two months since I broke up with my ex. Two months since I’d discovered he’d been cheating with Melissa … Read more
I didn’t heal in therapy. I healed when I walked away from my dysfunctional and toxic family. For 6 months, I sat on couches across from a well-meaning therapist who taught me to “process” my mother’s cruelty and “understand” my sister’s betrayal. I learned fancy terms like “emotional dysregulation” and “trauma bonding.” I practiced breathing … Read more
My narcissistic ex did me the biggest favor of my life. He made me completely immune to manipulation. I should probably send him a thank-you card. Actually, scratch that. He doesn’t deserve the acknowledgment. But here’s what’s wild: while he was busy trying to break me down, he accidentally built me up. Every lie he … Read more
