How to avoid the 'drainer' boyfriendPEXELS Women are too often burdened with doing emotional heavy-lifting for needy men. Their friends approved of me (tick), their mothers loved me (tick), but ultimately I was not what they wanted. Rather, I upheld the role of a pretty placeholder and emotional caretaker, before eventually being tossed out to make way for the new. I recall strengthening the friendships around me, perhaps (in hindsight) as a way of building an emotional ballast. Whether you're single, dating, or in a relationship, the one thing less likely to crumble is a robust sense of self.

Source: Stuff April 19, 2017 00:11 UTC