8 Keys to Overcoming Emotional Dependence

Emotional dependence refers to exceeded emotional support in a relationship, whether with a partner, relative or friend. When a person has this ’emotional connection’ with someone, they usually need the other to satisfy many of their emotional needs. In this way, people who are emotionally dependent on their partner end up being hurt the most when something goes wrong. 

How to Overcome Emotional Dependence?

1. Learn to take care of yourself

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The key to eliminating emotional dependence from your relationships is to start taking small steps that allow you to take care of yourself emotionally. Start meeting your emotional needs through your tools, without depending on someone for it.

2. Learn to be alone 

For a person who wants to overcome emotional dependence on a partner or in any type of relationship, a good method to achieve this is to try to spend more time alone. Breaking emotional dependency will be easier for you if you enjoy being with yourself.

3. Detect your strengths

No matter how small or great your strengths are, identifying your strengths will be a good step towards not depending on anyone .

4. Deal with your negative self-talk 

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People who are emotionally dependent on their relationships are often constantly yearning for validation from others to deal with negative self-talk of their own. In this way, to try to overcome this emotional attachment with others, you can try to rationalize this type of negative thoughts. It is not about eliminating them, but about combining them with reasoning that is more realistic.

5. Break patterns

The emotional dependence on friendship or family relationships or couples  often arise because of past experiences. In these cases, people often depend on someone to validate them. Therefore, it is important to recognize where this behavior pattern comes from and change our mental state to put an emotional distance with the person we are hooked on.

6. Know your worth

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Lack of self-confidence is one of the reasons why people end up suffering from this affective dependence. One of the exercises to learn is to be alone and to detach from someone. It involves working on our security, and esteem to end up recognizing your worth.

7.Leave the past behind

When a person is constantly trapped in their past, they often experience difficulties moving forward or making better decisions for themselves. In this way, to overcome the psychological dependence on a bond, it is relevant to try to learn from the mistakes of the past and leave behind those problems that hold us back in our relationships.

8. Make your own decisions

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Sometimes it is okay to consult the opinion of others when faced with difficult decisions. But when a person experiences emotional dependence on friendship, love, or family, they may end up letting others make all their decisions. In these cases, the best way to know how to stop being an emotional dependent is by taking decisions gradually: It starts with small challenges and ends by not depending on what those around