fast-forward to the present, and the two have been committed for seven years, moved in together, and share three cats. a 2017 pew report found one in seven people who’ve never been married don’t want to at all, and another 27% aren’t sure if they want to or not. i don’t think either of us want to be in a relationship where the other person feels like they’re obligated to stay.” while some people might find security in making a …

maybe there is cheating involved, and that brings things to a decisive but painful end. i negotiated for a compromise over and over but was dismissed every time. [via] “i had been dating a really great guy for years, and over the course of some months realised he wasn’t who i pictured growing old with, and that’s all there was to it. crunch time came when i went away for the summer and basically just didn’t miss him at all. …

i sat by my window and listened to “a case of you” on repeat. [breakups] can jeopardize one’s health.” this description rings true to me: after the breakup, i felt physically ill, exhausted, and devastated. i bought myself new bathing suits and went to the beach. i slept starfish on my bed and gave myself permission to take up all the space. if i saw a bar of chocolate i wanted at the grocery store? the practice of yoga became …

suggesting to your partner that you should have an open relationship is not easy. an open relationship is a relationship in which both have their partner’s consent to have sex or romantic liaisons with other people. an open relationship may be a good solution in a relationship where the trust between the partners is strong. an open relationship is possible even if you and your partner share kids, which often is the case in long relationships. if you are in …

asheville therapists jennifer gural and jonathan esslinger answer readers’ questions to help with the language of love and loss. i have come to a point that i want to be married and hopefully in a few years start a family. to me, marriage is an important institution and i do not want to have children out of wedlock. you have to choose between an institution that you value for your future versus a healthy, loving relationship that you have now. …