Sometimes you just need to re-pot all your plants in silence, get dirt caked under your finger nails, order an absurd amount of takeout (feel a little guilty about it and move on) grab the cheapest bottle of wine you can find, sit by the light of your lamp under four blankets and read with your phone off, then rent a favourite film, finish the wine, pet your dog, pet your cat, fall asleep to your record still spinning - feeling safe because your bed is full of all your stuff, your sketch book, your novel (that’s bent), your pencil case, your stuffed animals, your orange bottle of meds, if it’s a day off don’t set an alarm, sleep like your body wants to, open your eyes when it feels right, breath until you feel your chest stop aching, until the knife exits the wound, and live and live and live and yes, the pain will come back, it always does, but so do all the good things….so do it again, do it your way, keep living, keep holding out for the good days waiting for you
Types of relationships that look like love but are not:
Infatuation: This is an intense emotional or sexual attraction to someone that can give the illusion of love. However, infatuation is often based on idealized perceptions rather than a deep emotional connection.
Codependency: Codependent relationships involve one person excessively relying on another for emotional or physical needs. This dependency can mimic love, but it is rooted in the need for validation, control, or a sense of purpose.
Unrequited love: This refers to a situation where one person has romantic feelings for another, but those feelings are not reciprocated. It may involve one-sided affection, longing, or an obsession with someone who does not feel the same way.
Limerence: Limerence is an intense and obsessive form of attraction characterized by intrusive thoughts, longing for reciprocation, and an idealized image of the other person. It can feel like love, but it often lacks a genuine emotional connection.
Conditional love: In relationships based on conditional love, affection and care are only given when certain conditions or expectations are met. This type of relationship lacks unconditional acceptance and can be manipulative or controlling.
Trauma bond: A trauma bond forms when two individuals share intense emotional experiences, often negative or abusive. Despite the harmful dynamics, there may be a strong attachment due to the shared trauma, leading to a mistaken perception of love.
Transactional relationships: These relationships are based on mutual benefit or convenience rather than genuine emotional connection. Partners may stay together for financial security, social status, or other practical reasons, rather than genuine love and affection.
Manipulative relationships: Manipulative relationships involve one person exerting control and power over the other through emotional manipulation, coercion, or gaslighting. The manipulator may feign love and affection to gain control or exploit their partner’s vulnerabilities.
Fantasy relationships: In fantasy relationships, one or both partners create an idealized version of the other person, often based on unrealistic expectations or fantasies. The relationship may lack a true emotional connection, as it is based on the person’s fantasy rather than the reality of who their partner is.
One-sided relationships: These relationships are characterized by an imbalance of effort, care, or emotional investment. One person may consistently give more while the other takes without reciprocation. It can create an illusion of love, but it lacks equality and mutual respect.
Love addiction: Love addiction refers to a compulsive or obsessive pattern of seeking out relationships and being dependent on the euphoric feeling of being in love. It can lead to a cycle of unhealthy relationships, as the person seeks constant validation and excitement without addressing underlying emotional issues.
always choose to be with someone who is emotionally intelligent. don’t get caught up in the fact that you are loved, because love comes easy. but loving someone in the way they need, and understanding why they need to be loved like that is what a relationship is about.
A photo of a man reading a neon sign on a tree that says “Healing also means taking responsibility for the role you play in your own suffering”.
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the rudest most helpful thing anyone ever said to me is “why do you keep hurting your own feelings long after [the person who once hurt you] probably forgot about it” like literally just dear god you’ve split me open so neatly my entire soul is just flopping around on the ground between us now but thank you