Here comes the cliché of - "You just have to love yourself first," which sounds like some twilight zone to those who are clueless about how that might feel, as they have forever been trained that love is either conditional, or they aren't deserving of it.

Have you ever found yourself ruminating about someone who seemed so special that you couldn't think of anything else, couldn't focus on your daily routine, sleep or eat, while they barely cared to keep in touch?

Empathy and compassion are often used interchangeably as if they were the exact same emotion. However, they represent very different emotional responses. One of them is sustainable and healthy, while the other can lead to dysfunctional relating and profound burnout.

Most of us, when facing conflict, focus on the change necessary in the other so that WE can finally be happy. We tie our peace of mind to an outcome we cannot control, and try to force our loved ones to fit into the mould of our imaginative ideal partner.

Your mind isn't a single entity that just needs to "try harder." Instead, it is made up of sub-personalities, or "parts," that are constantly interacting, like an internal family.

The desire for a romantic partner is a natural part of life. Yet, beneath this longing lies a story about our relationship with ourselves.

A 2013 study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology found that EMDR significantly reduced PTSD symptoms in combat veterans after just six sessions.

"Consistency" is not about “trying” to regularly fit in someone else’s expectations. Consistency means we are being ourselves from the start in order to avoid disillusionment and disappointment once our real nature comes out.

I grew up in the countryside, and my mum seemed to be very overbearing; that's something I wasn't aware of at the time. I just knew that I was suffocating at home, and she unknowingly made me believe that I was the problem. I used to get in trouble for all sorts of stuff, as little as being a few minutes late for home.