Isn't it terrible when someone you care about takes you for granted? It could be a partner, a friend, or even a relative who: Turns to you only when they need something Leaves you in the lurch when you're in a rough patch yourself Insists they will change, but they never do Seems to prioritize everyone in his or her life except you No matter how often you convey that you feel angry, hurt, and taken advantage of, they carry on with the behavior, assuming that you're going to stick around. Their reasoning is: If you haven't left already, why would you now? This is precisely the kind of mindset that causes so many relationships to go under. Some people expect the other person to do all the work, thinking that alone will sustain the relationship. Or, they may do a little here and there, but never commit themselves to the degree the other person is. Sooner or later, the person being taken for a ride gives up and moves on. In certain cases, the other in...

What's worse than being home by yourself while all your friends and family are out and about? That's easy: A relationship in which your partner makes you feel lonely. Think about it. You're with someone whom you turn to for affection, attention, and advice. But whether it's because your partner is always working, traveling, indifferent, or in their own world mentally, your needs always go unmet. You feel as though you're living by yourself, but you're really not. It can be like crying out for help and never receiving a response. If you've raised the issue with your partner but still seem unable to get through to him or her, it might be time to decide whether you should seek counseling, or if you're better off pulling the plug altogether. It has been scientifically proven that loneliness distorts our perceptions of our relationships. Studies have discovered that merely asking people to recall times they felt lonely was sufficient to make t...

I've talked to some of my readers on this blog about a situation involving my closest friend. Long story short, he did something that really ticked me off -- mind you, this is the second time he's done it -- and now I intend to inflict what I consider to be the worst kind of punishment: indifference. The reason why I think indifference is the cruelest type of punishment is because it basically communicates that you couldn't care less about the person anymore. What he or she does or says no longer matters to you -- you are perfectly fine shutting the individual out of your life for good. This may not be the case at all;  you might still care deeply about the person. But at the end of the day, life is really more about what you perceive to be true than what may in fact be true. Many people imagine that getting riled up and lashing out at the person is the worst thing you can do, but I don't find this to be the case. Why? Because when you're angry, you're demon...