“I need some space. Can you give me one month?”

A kind way to take a break from a relationship going sour.

“Let’s take a break from this relationship?”

You have been there, either as the one who pulls the plug or the one who’s left aghast in that painful declaration.

Especially if you believe in some slight hope that a relationship can work out, not now but some points in the future where people feel better, then this post may help.

But first, let me tell you my story.

I’m one of those who gain control by withdrawing in relationships. I remember a moment where my former partner was in the mood for love and asked me so sweetly “My dear, I could give you anything you want. What would you like?”

“Space”, I said matter-of-factly.

To which she frowned: “No way, I can’t give you that”.

I knew that totally destroyed the mood, but being an emotionally cutoff brainiac back then, I didn’t know any better…

Joke aside, it’s almost always the case that in an intimate relationship, one person will often need more space and the other togetherness.

The person afraid of being consumed tends to withdraw, while the person afraid of being left alone tends to hold…