Never let your partner do this...it's disgraceful.

If there's something you should never allow your partner do, it's to treat you like an option rather than like a priority.

I've said time and time again that we should never expect our partner to complete us, as only we can achieve that.

However, it's fair game to lean toward our partner when:

We've had a rotten day and could use a little pick-me-up through their support and encouragement

We've experienced a happy moment or occurrence -- whether a promotion or achievement of some other personal/professional milestone -- and would like to share it with them

We're facing a tough challenge or decision and would value their input

But if your partner treats you like you're secondary to other matters or people, you've got a major problem on your hands -- one that needs to be addressed immediately before tensions escalate further.

Maybe you've been yearning for a date night with her for months, but says she has to work late or already made plans with friends.

Perhaps you've been wanting to stay in and watch a great flick like you did in the old days, but he'd rather play video games or read.

Granted, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with using these as reasons on occasion.

After all, we all have to work late from time to time, and surely there have been instances where we've yielded to our friends' preferences/plans being that they're visiting from out of town or hosting a special event in which they'd like us to take part. Maybe we're not feeling well and want a little distance to play or read, assuring them it isn't personal.

But once these reasons become frequent excuses, that's a different ballgame entirely.

If your partner is chronically late to dinner because they're supposedly working late, it's not ludicrous to wonder whether something else is at play. Do they have someone on the side? Are they unhappy in the relationship and using work as a pretext to spend less time with you?

Rather than speculate, ask your partner -- in a cool-and-collected manner -- why they've distanced themselves.

Maybe it wasn't intentional. They could have hit a rough patch and haven't been candid about it. But even so, you have to wonder why they don't open up to their own partner of all people.

In the worst scenarios, it's unfortunately because they don't care. They may indeed be cheating or have otherwise checked out of the relationship completely, putting their partner a distant second behind work, hobbies, and other things.

If talking about it with him or her seems to be getting you nowhere, the ball is in your court. You could wait around hoping they'll eventually come to their senses, or pack your bags.

Either way, once someone has reached this level of indifference, the relationship may be beyond saving. You need to ask yourself way before this -- once you start noticing patterns of unseemly behavior -- whether you deserve better.

No response from someone IS a response

Make no mistake about it: When you don't get a response from someone -- whether they fail to answer your texts or return your phone calls -- it is still a response, and a powerful one at that. When a person fails to respond, it's a direct reflection of their interest -- or lack thereof -- in the relationship. Few things are more aggravating than having to hound a partner, friend, or relative for some sort of reply after we've reached out to them. Yes, we get busy from time to time, but that doesn't give anyone the right to leave the other person hanging. A terse text with something like "Been busy, will reach out soon" doesn't say much, but at least it shows some effort to bring the other person up to speed on why they've fallen off the radar. Failing to provide a response for weeks -- if not months -- communicates that you are just not a priority, and that you'll have to wait your turn to get this individual's attention. This is n

This will spell the end of your relationship

When asked to think about the most common culprits for a relationship's going south, most people will point to cheating, complacency, and taking one's partner for granted. While these are all valid -- and documented in various posts on this blog -- there are certain habits on the part of partners that may not kill the relationship right away, but cause it to erode more gradually. Among the most egregious of these is expecting your significant other to be perfect. They pick at your follies any chance they get. Nothing you do is ever good enough. In fact, you will never measure up to an ex, neighbor, or accomplished co-worker. Perhaps this all sounds a bit familiar. When you feel as though you're constantly being put under the microscope, it can inflict lasting damage on the relationship and your self-esteem. You're walking on eggshells all the time, praying you don't say or do something that's going to trigger your partner. This is no way to live, let alone ca

Do you have Isolophilia? Find out...

You're probably asking yourself, "What in the world does Isolophilia mean?" It sounds like it would be something negative, doesn't it? After all, words that end in "philia" (e.g., pedophilia) tend to involve things we want nothing to do with. But Isolophilia isn't something all people deplore. In fact, introverts like me welcome it. Put simply, Isolophilia is defined as having a strong affinity for solitude. It describes a person who relishes being alone. While extroverts can only take so much solitude, we introverts find that it rejuvenates us. In order to recharge our batteries, we need to retreat to a quiet environment where we we're left alone to rest and/or gather our thoughts. Extroverts, on the other hand, become bored and drained when they're alone for a lengthy period of time. Social interaction is the fuel that drives them. So while an extrovert would probably do anything to avoid feelings of Isolophilia in most cases, an

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