When you find yourself in a romantic relationship, it is natural for your mind to wander towards the concept of love and how it manifests itself in different ways. There are numerous articles that will explain what true love means, but there is very little research on the difference between emotional closeness and dependence. Love can be a confusing concept when you don't know where to draw the line between emotional closeness and dependency. If one experiences war during their lifetime, it may affect their ability to differentiate between these two concepts due to traumatic events such as loss, death, separation, and violence. War can create an imbalance in people's minds which makes them confused about what they want from another person. This article explores how war impacts one's ability to recognize emotional closeness versus dependency and how to heal from this confusion.
How does war impact one's ability to distinguish between emotional closeness and dependency?
In war, many people experience intense situations that change their worldview permanently. These situations often include death, grief, depression, and anxiety, which can influence one's perception of life after war. One way that war changes individuals is by creating an emotional dependency on others. When someone goes through trauma or loses loved ones, they may become more dependent on those around them. Dependency occurs when a person relies too heavily on another person for support, companionship, or protection without being able to provide for themselves. While it is normal to depend on another person at times, excessive reliance can cause unhealthy behavior patterns like codependency. Codependence is when a person depends so much on another person that they lose sight of who they are outside of the relationship. People with low self-esteem tend to rely on others for validation rather than developing themselves independently. During war, a person may lose confidence in themselves, and overtime, this lack of self-reliance becomes habitual. If you have been traumatized by war, you might find yourself becoming emotionally dependent on your partner because you do not feel strong enough to face the world alone. You might start depending on your partner for happiness, safety, and stability instead of seeking these things within yourself. This could create feelings of resentment towards your partner if you expect them to fulfill needs that should come from within.
Emotional intimacy can be hard to achieve after war due to psychological factors such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a mental health condition where people experience flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety related to past trauma. These symptoms can make it difficult for individuals to connect with others emotionally because they struggle to trust themselves or other people. War veterans often need time to heal before connecting with someone emotionally; otherwise, they risk triggering old memories that cause intense distress. Individuals may also avoid emotional intimacy out of fear that their partner will leave them or abandon them like their family did during war. Someone living through war may develop a fear of commitment or believe that love isn't worth the pain it brings. They may become more focused on survival rather than forming meaningful relationships, which affects their ability to differentiate between closeness and dependency.
War can impact one's ability to recognize emotional closeness versus dependency in various ways, but there are strategies that can help you work through this confusion:
1) Talk therapy is an excellent way to process trauma and heal from past experiences. A licensed professional can guide you through the painful memories so that they don't control your life anymore. It is essential to talk about what happened during war and how it affected you physically, mentally, and emotionally. This will allow you to acknowledge what has changed within yourself since going through such an event.
2) Focus on self-care by engaging in activities that improve your mood, reduce stress, and boost confidence. Exercise, yoga, meditation, art therapy, journaling, or reading books can be helpful tools. Do something that makes you happy and takes your mind off the war experience for a while. Finding joy in life is crucial for overcoming traumatic events because it reminds us that we deserve happiness.
3) Get involved in social groups where people share similar interests as yours. You might find new friends who understand your struggles better than your loved ones do. Social support systems provide comfort and validation when facing difficult situations alone. If possible, join organizations designed specifically for veterans where others can relate to your experiences.
4) Practice saying no instead of relying on other people's approval or validation. Set boundaries around what you want from someone else without feeling guilty. Learn to value yourself before expecting others to value you.
5) Challenge unhealthy thought patterns like "I am not good enough" or "I cannot trust anyone." Replace these thoughts with positive statements like "I am strong" or "I am worthy."
War affects everyone differently depending on their experiences and circumstances, but it is important to work towards healing after conflict so that we don't carry the pain into future relationships. Emotional dependency happens when people rely too much on one person for satisfaction rather than themselves. War can make this problem worse by making individuals feel helpless or anxious about forming connections. By practicing self-love and setting healthy boundaries, individuals can reclaim their power over their emotions and begin differentiating between closeness and dependency again.
How does war affect one's ability to differentiate between emotional closeness and dependency?
War can have a profound impact on an individual's capacity to distinguish between emotional closeness and dependency. This is because the traumatic experiences associated with war, such as loss of loved ones, displacement, and violence, often result in individuals developing strong attachments to others for survival purposes. As a result, they may mistake these attachments for genuine emotional intimacy, leading to difficulty recognizing when a relationship has become unhealthy or codependent.