Successful Relationships Reading Corner
In this week’s blog, we discussed how to reconcile individuality and union in your relationships. Here are some insightful articles on that topic.
The Importance of Maintaining Your Individuality in Relationships “‘You complete me.’ Who doesn’t love this seminal line from Tom Cruise’s character in the movie Jerry McGuire? It melts the heart of any romantic and makes them long for a love like that. A union with their ‘missing piece’ – someone who makes them feel whole and complete. … However, this glamorous portrayal of true love gives us false expectations. While making certain compromises is necessary to make any partnership work, losing ourselves in the process isn’t. Escalating divorce rates of over 50% and infidelity rates of over 40% is a clear sign that we’re missing an essential piece of the relationship game.”
Giving in Relationships Without Losing Yourself or Sacrificing Your Needs “‘Relationships are about two individuals who maintain their own lives and create another one together.’ ~Unknown. … I have observed that I have a strong desire to merge with my partner because it feels blissful to be connected. I crave union, being one with the person who means most to me. … Relationships require a delicate balance between having clear boundaries and yet not becoming too closed off from the other person.”
How to Be With Someone But Still Be Yourself “Where do you end and where does your partner begin? … But that feeling of merging may contribute to you feeling like you’re losing your identity—or losing yourself in the relationship. When two become one, there’s beauty to that. A reciprocal relationship celebrates and encourages your unique sense of self within it. But that process usually doesn’t happen cleanly, and you may start to fear that your independent self will be annihilated.”
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