You’re just serving “them” and losing yourself in the process!
She stayed in a relationship for eight years because… she was terrified of being alone. Not because he loved her better. Not because she was happy. Nope. She was up just to fill the empty weekends, having someone to do the grocery shopping.
“Isn’t that love?” someone asked.
“No,” she said. “But a habit with a heartbeat.”
Love and emotional dependency are two different things… maybe opposing ones. Love is a duet: two people who can stand alone and choose one another every day. Emotional dependency is a solo performance where one person’s survival is tied to the other’s attention, approval, and presence.
Researchers find that emotional dependence often grows from insecure attachment styles and difficulties in emotion regulation. It’s not romance, it’s a coping strategy.
Sign 1: Your Sense of Self-Worth Depends on “Their” Approval
You replay their messages. You wake up nervous, scrolling past the text threads for signs they thought of you. A compliment from them can turn a gray morning bright; a dropped call can make an entire day hollow.
