Dissolution of relationships in any form can be so difficult, leaving you feeling angry and confused. This is exactly how I felt following coming back to a situationship after a year only to be rejected and discarded once again. I felt I had done nothing but try to understand and be there for him when all he ever did was use me. I recently went to the gym where he’d told everyone that he “hit” that, told them I was crazy, but then also egged them on to “chat me up,” to prove how much he didn’t care. It was disrespectful and I couldn’t understand why he was treating me so badly when I did nothing to him. Hadn’t he already done enough? What did I ever do to him to deserve that? Welcome to ego-defensive & emotion-driven behaviors where people go into self-protection mode to save face and shield themselves from emotional vulnerability. They essentially resort to this behavior because they ultimately lack self-worth/self-confidence & the ability to regulate their emotions. Instead of dealing with things from a place of stability and maturity, they react out of self-interest at the harm of others because it’s all they know how to do. At first, I was filled with anger and hurt, but the more I started to understand these are just deeply wounded people and it has nothing to do with me, the less anger I felt. Understanding helped me stop taking it personally and stop letting it mean something about me. In order to help you in that same process, this podcast and instagram guide sheds light on what ego-defensive & emotion-driven behaviors are, why people use them, and how to deal with people who engage in them. In the end, it’s important to note the only people they truly harm in using these tactics - whether consciously or unconsciously - is themselves. They block genuine connection because their fears & insecurities get the better of them. In the end, understanding this isn’t personal or about you, but a reflection of their own personal struggles, will help you break free from the pain and rejection they seem to leave behind. By choosing yourself, setting boundaries, disengaging, working on your own self-confidence & emotional regulation, you can be free to pursue relationships more worthy of your time. Remember, rejection is always an opportunity for deeper self-reflection and accepting divine redirection. It will all be okay.

I really wanted to make shorter episodes for you guys, but this episode really needed the length to explain each issue of fear, trauma, addiction, attachment, toxic relationships, and familiar family dynamics, while also bridging the gap between them to illustrate how they are each so intimately connected. Often times, we see we have issues, but don't see how they are often the same issues just interconnected with one another. In order to untangle the web, I first discuss emotional regulation & what it is before getting into how our ability or inability to regulate dictate almost everything we do in our lives. Afterall, emotions are out greatest motivators for our actions, and if we don't know ow to regulate, we can see everything in our lives crumble & breakdown. However, there is hope. By looking back into our family dynamics, we can easily trace what went awry. I talk about how all of these family dynamics affect our brain and subsequent emotional wiring & how that wiring then interacts with other people's wiring on a relational level. While this episode was originally inspired by a friend, it quickly became something that was obvious I needed to work on. I talk in depth about a situationship that hurt me deeply, but finally brought me our of my co-dependent ways and into more independent self-regulation. I had no idea this was the missing piece that would literally change everything for me! I truly believe mastering emotionally regulation & understanding how deep it goes into our lives is the key to finally have a successful relationship with yourself, others, and in everything you will do in your future.

Ever date someone you didn’t really think you’d like and then all of a sudden you find yourself pining after them like, “why they don’t like me anymore? Why does no one ever care about me?” Have you ever really asked yourself - before the attachment - happened if you ever even wanted them? Maybe, but your craving for that love and validation that seems to be lost is so deep that you can’t see the light? This was the story of my life. I loved one person, but in between that I dated out of need - to help me “move on” or take my mind off another before them. I dated to pass time, to fill a hole in my life, to feel better about a life I didn’t like - I just wanted an escape, someone fun to pass time, but then it was always me who seemed to get attached. They provided the escape I wanted, but then started pulling away. By then I was left feeling even more shitty than I felt before I’d met them. I’d conclude, I was just unloveable and everyone would always leave me. No one would ever love me - that is until my thoughts and inner monologue were interrupted by meeting the girl I speak about in episode 18. I started to think - is this really true? What if I changed my thoughts and actions and put it all to the test? That’s exactly what I did here in my little roster experiment - my experience in intentionally dating 15 different guys - with no physical contact. This isn’t a formal episode - just a little blurb about what I did, how I approached, and what I found. This post is both verbal blurb and written blurb to enjoy in whichever medium you prefer. All I can say is this was a much better approach than any of my other previous experiences, and the change in how I was treated all began with how I was treating myself.