Defensive Maneuvers That Destroy Our Relationships

And how to choose connection in conflict

Photo by Stavrialena Gontzou on Unsplash

We think we can protect ourselves from hurt if we just try hard enough. Even knowing better, our sense of self-preservation can be overwhelmingly strong. I had layers of self-protection before I ever met my first boyfriend. My default setting was an expectation of disappointment and abandonment in…