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have you ever felt like you're on a
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pendulum yearning for closeness one
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moment then recoiling in fear the
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next you chase connection as if your
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life depends on it only to push away the
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very person you crave when they finally
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near that cycle can feel endless
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heartbreaking if this sounds familiar
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you're not alone and you're not broken
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for many of us these pushpull patterns
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in love stem from two opposing
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attachment styles anxious and
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avoidant when these styles pair up they
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create a self-sabotaging loop that can
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turn even the most promising
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relationships into emotional roller
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in the next minutes you're going to
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discover where anxious and avoidance
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styles originate and how they take root
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childhood the core behaviors that drive
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both the chase and the
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retreat why you're magnetically drawn to
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partners who trigger your deepest
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fears the neurochemistry behind those
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highs and crashes the dopamine cortisol
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coaster three practical researchbacked
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strategies to break free and build
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connection a real couple's journey from
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chaos to come and how you can follow in
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footsteps by the end of this episode
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you'll understand exactly why that hot
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cold dance keeps replaying and you'll
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have a clear road map to step off the
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begin section one the roots of anxious
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attachment imagine a child cradled in
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their mother's arms at times soothed
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with gentle rocking at other moments
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cry for that child love feels
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unpredictable some days
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neglect this inconsistency imprints on
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the brain love arrives in fits and
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starts psychologist Mary Ainsworth's
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groundbreaking strange situation
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experiments in the 1970s revealed four
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primary attachment styles
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secure caregivers respond reliably and
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sensitively children learn that their
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matter as adults they feel safe
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expressing emotions and trusting
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others anxious caregivers are
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inconsistent sometimes nurturing
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unavailable children become
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hypervigilant fearful of abandonment
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as adults they crave closeness but doubt
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it avoidant caregivers are emotionally
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dismissive children learn to suppress
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needs as adults they prize independence
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intimacy disorganized caregivers are
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frightening or erratic
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children feel torn between seeking
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comfort and fleeing danger leading to
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confusion around love and
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safety let's focus on anxious and
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avoidant both stem from early
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experiences of unreliable caregiving but
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they react in opposite
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ways anxious individuals think "I must
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chase love to keep it."
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They become preoccupied with reassurance
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hyper aware of any sign of
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withdrawal avoidant individuals think "I
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must protect myself by staying
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distant." They downplay emotional needs
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fear being overwhelmed and often retreat
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independence these are not flaws but
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survival strategies formed in childhood
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and so deeply wired that they operate
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section two how anxious and avoidant
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out picture two people in love one
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constantly texting worried about silence
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the other slow to reply uncomfortable
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intensity this dynamic is the anxious
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include reassurance seeking frequent
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calls texts or check-ins to confirm love
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attention hypervigilance scanning every
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word every pause for signs of
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rejection emotional flooding intense
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waves of panic or despair when
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threatened avoidant behaviors include
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Withdrawal pulling away when emotions
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run high often without
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explanation dismissiveness minimizing or
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invalidating partner's feelings as too
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much self-reliance valuing independence
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to the point of fearing
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intimacy when these styles
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collide the anxious partner's pursuit
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seeking reassurance triggers the
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avoidant partner's discomfort prompting
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withdrawal the avoidant partner's
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retreat ignites the anxious partner's
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fear of abandonment leading to even more
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pursuit it becomes a feedback loop chase
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retreat panic withdrawal repeat
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this cycle can feel addictive because
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each reunion brings a rush of relief and
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a dopamine spike while each separation
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triggers cortisol-fueled
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anxiety your brain learns to crave both
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the high of connection and the relief of
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reconnection making the pattern hard to
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break section three the neurochemical
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coaster we often think of love as magic
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biology when attraction
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sparks dopamine floods the brain
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creating pleasure and craving for
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more oxytocin bonds partners through
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touch and closeness fostering trust
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but when uncertainty or withdrawal
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enters cortisol surges triggering stress
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anxiety and desperation this alternating
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dopamine cortisol pattern looks and
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addiction in fact studies show that
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breakups can activate the same brain
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regions as drug withdrawal
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you might crave them inebriatingly haunt
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their social feeds or replay
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conversations in your head seeking that
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closeness for an anxious avoidant
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pairing this back and forth becomes the
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relationship's default mode intense
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highs followed by crushing
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lows awareness of this chemical cycle is
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crucial when you realize your brain is
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chasing these predictable surges and
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dips you can start to interrupt the
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cycle section four recognizing your
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partners before you can change the dance
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yourself when you feel anxious do you
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retreat when your partner retreats does
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your heart pound or do you breathe a
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relief do you fear abandonment anxious
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avoidant journal your
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answers write down specific
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incidents last week I texted Alex five
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times because he didn't reply for 3
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yesterday I shut down when Maria asked
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feelings next step back and observe your
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moves awareness is the first step toward
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choice you can't change what you don't
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see section five three strategies to
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free understanding your style and your
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partner's wiring sets the stage
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but real change requires new practices
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researchbacked habits that build secure
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connection one self soothing for the
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rises pause and breathe inhale for four
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six grounding name five things you see
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around you four you can touch
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affirmation silently repeat "I am safe
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my worth is not on this text." These
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practices calm the amygdala your brain's
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alarm center giving you space to respond
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impulsively two gentle disclosure for
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avoidant you feel a surge of discomfort
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closeness use I statements i feel a bit
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now schedule brief check-ins commit to
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five minutes of sharing at a set
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time validate the others needs i know
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you need reassurance i'm working on
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present this helps your partner feel
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heard and reduces the anxiety that fuels
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their chase while allowing you to
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practice vulnerability in manageable
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three build secure rituals
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together small consistent acts cement
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security daily affirmations share one
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thing you appreciate in each
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other check-in texts a simple thinking
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of you or how's your
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day weekly ritual a walk a coffee date
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or even a 10-minute playlist sharing
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these rituals send a clear message to
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your brain this person shows up reliably
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lovingly over weeks your neural pathways
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will rewire to associate love with
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chaos section six a real couple's
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journey let's return to Emily and
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Jack after years of drama they nearly
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but they chose a different
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path mapping their styles they each read
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about their attachment patterns and
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fears creating a relationship contract
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simple agreements like we'll reply
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within 2 hours and we'll use a safe word
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overwhelmed establishing weekly heart
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meetings uninterrupted time to share
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needs at first the process felt awkward
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emily's heart raced when Jack was slow
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to answer but she practiced self
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soothing jack felt vulnerable admitting
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fear of intimacy but he honored his
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transparency over months the pendulum
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slowed their check-ins became a source
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of comfort rather than
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conflict emily's anxiety eased because
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she saw Jack consistently
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return jack's avoidance faded as he
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experienced the reward of closeness
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panic today they describe their
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relationship as steady warm and alive no
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longer a roller coaster but a gentle
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section seven your action
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blueprint now it's your
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turn use this sevenst step blueprint to
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relationship identify your style anxious
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avoidant own it without
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judgment recognize triggers list
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situations that ignite chase or
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retreat practice self soothing or gentle
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disclosure daily micro habits to calm
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system create communication agreements
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set expectations for responsiveness and
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check-ins build secure rituals small
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care journal progress note shifts in
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anxiety closeness and overall trust
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celebrate wins acknowledge every moment
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you paused the cycle and chose
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security consistency is
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key change won't happen overnight but
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with each secure moment you retrain your
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brain toward connection over
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chaos if this episode illuminated your
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patterns do three things
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now like this video to signal its
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comment secure if you're ready to step
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pendulum share with a friend who might
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be caught in the anxious avoidant
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dance subscribe and hit the bell next
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week we'll tackle why we mistake
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intensity for intimacy so you can learn
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to distinguish true connection from mere
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excitement remember healthy love isn't a
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roller coaster it's a home you build
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care this is the psychology of love what
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you let's keep rewriting our love