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  • Take responsibility for yourself before the relationship

    When relationships feel strained it is natural to focus on what the other person is doing wrong. However, meaningful change usually begins when each person turns inward first. Understanding your own reactions, triggers, and patterns creates a much stronger foundation than analysing the relationship from a distance.

    Before starting a difficult conversation, it can help to ask yourself: What am I feeling? What am I needing? What part of this belongs to me? This approach reduces blame and makes communication more grounded and effective.

    Taking responsibility for your inner world does not mean ignoring problems in the relationship. Rather, it creates a more stable starting point from which honest, adult-to-adult dialogue can take place.
    Philip ✓

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