Do you live in someone’s shadow?

Liking someone a lot is very different from become dependent of the relationship, whether with her husband or boyfriend, or with her son, a friend or a relative. That’s when that delightful complicity turns into “pathological affective dependence”, reveals psychotherapist Teresa Bonumá, from São Paulo.

For women (and men too) who suffer from this affliction, life only makes sense if it is in the shadow of a certain person. Is this your case? See what to do to end this problem.

Independence step by step

· Identify the reasons for your insecurity in relationships and how much it interferes with your life. Strive to change that.

· Carry out those activities that were abandoned in favor of someone else. Invest more in your projects and achievements.

· Free the people you love by allowing them to do individual activities. Don’t lock them up to have them by your side.

· Enrich your personal life by discovering what you enjoy doing alone.

· Draw inspiration from the experience of others by joining support groups such as Codependents Anonymous.

Source: Teresa Bonumá, Psychotherapist for Family, Couples and Friends in São Paulo/SP