Emotional infidelity may sound like a strange concept but it is real. We are raised to believe that cheating is when you have sexual relations with another person outside of your relationship, but that is not the only way you can cheat.
There is also an emotional affair. An emotional affair is when you share your intimate feelings with someone other then your partner. Do not mistake this for simply having friends or the way you love your kids, it is something entirely different.
Essentially the feelings you have for your partner are what create the emotional backbone for a relationship. But what happens when you have similar feelings for someone else? This is emotional infidelity and it can be just as harmful as a physical affair.
When someone is in a relationship they like to believe that they are the center of their partners universe. They want to believe they are special and that the love for them is not something that can just be passed around.
That is what makes sexual affairs so harmful, it is not just the fact that you were physically intimate with another person. It is that you were emotionally intimate as well. Physical relations are something you share with someone you deeply care about, so to do so with another shows you care for them and this can really hurt your partner.
That is why an emotional affair often leads to a physical one. But even if it never progresses to that level it can still hurt. Nobody wants to feel like they are replaceable or something to be discarded once used.
An emotional affair can start innocent enough. It can be something as simple as getting a good impression from someone and developing that relationship further. The breaking point from when it stops being a normal relationship to something more intimate is when you let your guard down and ignore the boundaries we often set for ourselves.
There are lines that separate people, we place them into different categories. There are friends, family, lovers all of whom you care deeply for but in different ways. The emotional infidelity comes in when you blur the lines between groups. When you start caring for someone as more then just a friend and more as a lover.
It is important to stay within the lines and not to carelessly hand out your love. One of the best ways to determine if you may have crossed the line is to ask yourself a simple question. Do you confide in someone more then your partner?
It is not a clear cut question since there are some secrets you do not want your partner to know. But generally if you share everything with someone other then your partner, this could be a problem. Trust is fundamental for a relationship and if you trust someone more then your partner, it might lead to further problems down the road.
An emotional affair is a tricky business and it is not as clear cut as a physical affair. You just need to try your best not to mix your feelings and ensure that a friend just remains a friend.
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