Everywhere you look, we’re constantly told not to allow our happiness depend on other people, but sometimes in life, you can become so wrapped up in the flow of your everyday routine, that being without them may seem like the hardest thing in the world.
In some cases, you may not realize that you are emotionally dependent on another person.
It can manifest and while it’s most common to happen when you’re in a relationship, it’s also plausible that you can become dependent on your closest friends.
If you discover that you’re emotionally dependent, don’t think it’s your fault. It’s just something that you found out about yourself, and something that needs to be addressed.
Breaking dependency is not an easy task, but it can be done. Here are 5 ways to break emotional dependency.
1. Don’t give anyone the responsibility to make you happy.
Your happiness is your own. No one has the power to take it from you, nor should you allow anyone to be the source of your happiness.
What tends to happen when you become emotionally dependent is that you look for someone to take care of you. You no longer know how to satisfy your needs, and you hope that someone else has the capability to do so.
Take care of yourself, and worry less about others. When emotional dependency occurs, it’s okay to take the time to rest.
2. Do some self-reflection.
During this time, you have to work on yourself and not apologize for it. Sometimes we don’t realize where emotional dependency stems from. We can even have the mentality that we aren’t a person who has this issue.
Take time to yourself. Meditate on it and search your subconscious for any clues as to why this has manifest in your life.
Sometimes, without realizing it, we may have had childhood patterns that indicate our attachment styles.
3. Let go of expectations that you hold.
You can’t expect anything out to anyone nor can they expect anything out of you. Holding expectations of people can lead to disappointment.
You can form this fantasy or simply a preconceived idea of the roles people are supposed to play in your life. Having unrealistic needs from people can cause them to withdraw from you and see you as unreasonable.
Instead, try to see people for what they are: simply human. Just has you have limitations on how much you can give, so do they.
We were all created different and when you recognize that not everyone has the same emotional capacity that you do, depending on yourself will become easier.
4. Face your avoidance behavior.
I find that when we become emotionally dependent on others, it can stem from avoiding something you would much rather pretend did not exist.
You want to be happy and in order to do that, you create a bubble that blocks out anything that is hard to deal with.
You begin to hope that the other person will fill the void that you have created for yourself. This void may hold fears, doubts, insecurities, and worry.
To break the bubble, you have to face what exist on the outside and you have to do that on your own. Be strong and enter the void. Once you do, you’ll feel empowered. You’re capable of taking care of yourself.
5. Wallow in positive not negative.
What and how you think will influence what is brought into your life. Think positive, and harmony, joy, and bliss will follow.
No longer allow negativity to hold you down. When you keep it in your heart and mind, you find yourself searching for something or someone else to change that for you when the only person who can change it is you.
When you take control of your thoughts, you gain control over your happiness and you look for positivity. You can become the person you’ve wanted to be.
You can achieve independence while still allowing your heart to be open.
Image: iStock
Reflect & Refresh 