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Old 07-25-2017, 10:54 AM
  # 9 (permalink)  
SparkleKitty
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Chicago
Posts: 5,448
When I was much younger, my constant need to be in a relationship (healthy/satisfying or not) might have looked to some like love addiction, I suppose? But that term doesn't resonate with me in the slightest.

The hallmark of my codependency has been the drive to define myself through my relationships - "AM's daughter", "so-and-so's girlfriend", "such-and-such's wife" as opposed to just being SparkleKitty. Without those relationships to let the rest of the world know who I was, there just wasn't much there.

Building my self-esteem, self-worth, self-respect, and self-love has given me a secure foundation to let go of the need to define myself in terms of someone else. Very empowering.
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