Holly Riordan

You shouldn’t strive to look like the one who cares less.

You have to learn to separate your old, lingering fears from your reality.

You should want to meet their highest expectations, not their minimum expectations. 

If you’ve stopped communicating with them, if you’ve stopped confronting them when they’ve upset you, if you’ve stopped bothering to try to get them to see your side, then it’s probably time to end the relationship.

None of these things are asking for too much. They’re only too much when you’re asking the wrong person.

You get uncomfortable when he buys you gifts or surprises you with romantic gestures. You feel like you haven’t earned it. You feel like you’re never going to pay him back. You feel like he’s going to regret it once he realizes that you aren’t actually the girl of his dreams. 

You need to learn that you are valuable, that you are a catch, that you are worthy of love.  

He shouldn’t leave as soon as things get tough. He shouldn’t get scared off by imperfect moments.

Your feelings aren’t always meant to be acted upon. If you miss someone, that doesn’t mean you should text them. It doesn’t mean you should give them another chance.

I would rather feel deeply than pretend I don’t feel anything at all. 

They expect more from you than they’re willing to give to you.

You can miss them and be glad they’re gone at the same time.

You’re not destined to fail, destined to disappoint, destined to feel this miserable forever.

You’re the fun friend. You’re the one who makes everyone laugh. You’re the one who lightens the mood. You’re the one who makes everyone around you feel better when they’re going through something, not the one who brings up their own problems.

You can stop holding yourself back, stop playing by an imaginary set of dating rules, and ask for clarification when it’s needed. 

You should be there to support me, not to lecture me, not to make me feel even worse about the situation, not to make me feel like it was a mistake trying to talk to you in the first place.

Instead of reflecting on the things they’ve done and putting in the effort to change their bad behaviors, they are going to place the blame elsewhere.

You need to stop bottling up your feelings because keeping the peace right now will hurt you in the long-run.