Codependency
A relationship in which your own worth is measured by how much you care for someone else.
How it shows up
You know what your partner needs and don’t know what you need. Their mood determines your day. Help nobody asked for, and exhaustion nobody sees.
What we do with it in therapy
Caring isn’t the problem — the problem is when it is the only way you can be in a relationship. We work on your starting to notice your own needs, which for many people is entirely new.
See also
Phobia
A strong, persistent fear of a particular thing or situation, out of proportion to the actual danger.
Violence in a relationship
A pattern of behaviour by which one person establishes power and control over another — physically, psychologically, sexually or economically.
Compromise
An agreement in which both give something up — and both get something.
