We all get jealous occasionally—but retroactive jealousy can make someone start obsessing over their partner’s romantic past. Retroactive jealousy can be so intense that it can derail a person’s relationship, mental health, and ability to trust others. Although this type of relationship anxiety can warp someone’s views on their partner…
One of the hardest parts of therapy can be reckoning with our emotions. Emotions affect all of us, but sometimes focusing on the ones that feel good can cause us to avoid the ones that feel worse. However, though not all emotions feel good at first, it can help to…
Few things betray someone’s trust more than infidelity. It’s ruined many marriages, committed relationships, and families—but still, people continue to cheat on their partners. Whether you’ve been cheated on or have been unfaithful in past relationships, you’re probably curious—why do people cheat? And how can you recognize the signs? We…
Self-sabotage in relationships involves engaging in self-destructive patterns of behavior—whether unconsciously or consciously—which threaten to end a romantic relationship. This may involve distancing yourself, ignoring your partner, or putting emotional walls up. Often, self-sabotaging is related to past experiences or trauma. Self-sabotage can harm or even end relationships that would…
Despite what it sounds like, sleep divorce doesn’t always spell the end of a relationship. It’s what happens when one or both partners decide to sleep in separate beds. As controversial as it sounds, it’s actually pretty common. But does sleep divorce truly spell the end of a relationship? And…
Male hypoactive sexual desire disorder (MHSDD) is a sexual disorder that affects individuals who were assigned as male at birth. This mental health condition severely reduces a man’s desire for sex—he may experience difficulty in being physically intimate with a partner, or may struggle to become aroused by erotic images…
Q: My girlfriend of three years is starting to bother me. We’ve had our share of ups and downs, but we’ve always managed to talk things through whenever there’s been a disagreement. Except for one issue: She doesn’t trust me when I’m out and about with other people, specifically my…
Most guides to defining healthy relationship boundaries focus on new couples. How do you set your personal rules of engagement from the beginning so both partners feel safe and respected? But people in long-term relationships know that love is dynamic. Humans continually grow and change both as individuals and as…
Our personal relationships with sexual desire are deeply complex. From the pangs and angst of our awkward teenage years to the difficulties of navigating healthy intimacy in adult relationships, understanding just how we feel about sex can be a lifelong journey. But as personal as sex is to all of…
Adults with separation anxiety disorder have heightened, functionally impairing fears about being apart from their attachment figures. The mental health condition might cause them to experience a panic attack when their spouse goes to work, or have recurring nightmares about the death of someone they love. Though separation anxiety in…
The choice between getting divorced or staying together may be one of the hardest decisions you ever have to make. It’s a critical crossroads where you may see your life heading in two different directions. What kind of future do you want? How do you make an informed decision about…
What is a starter marriage? Well, obviously it’s the beautiful union between a starter wife or a starter husband and their starter spouse. Gorgeous wedding, all the gifts, no children, and they’re divorced within five years. These kinds of marriages have also been called entry-level marriages, icebreaker marriages, warm-up marriages,…
