NewsBreak Original

If you love someone too much, you pluck a flower with a thorn that pricks your fingers in the end. Whether your love for someone is extreme or little, both are unhealthy traits that ruin your relationships.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events as told to me by a woman who experienced them firsthand; used with permission. I knew a woman who was happily married, or so I thought. She and her husband had married young with a baby on the way. Ten years later, they were what most people would consider a success story.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events I experienced firsthand; used with permission. My friend set me up on a blind date. She had been friends with this man for many years, and she knew him well. Unfortunately, she didn't think to warn me about the smell.

The first time I noticed the look, Simon and I hadn’t been dating that long. We were out of town celebrating his birthday, and I watched the same exact look pass over the faces of the hotel clerk, the bookstore cashier, and the server at an upscale restaurant on the town square.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events as told to me by a man who experienced them firsthand; used with permission. How far should a woman go to vet someone she met on the internet? One woman showed up unannounced and uninvited to the home of her online love interest's neighbor, and it ruined any chance they had of romance.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events as told to me by a woman who experienced them firsthand; used with permission. My friend and her husband were happily married. At least, that's what everyone thought.

Here are some tips you can follow to make you the best man for the woman you’re vying for. The last thing in the world you might want is a crazy woman, but what about if she was crazy for you?

Improved communication skills = improved fighting skills. What is the *one* thing you and your partner always seem to fight about?. Is it who does the most chores around the house or cares for the kids more? That they have a friend or family member you don’t like? That they make jokes that irritate you or they don’t like to be very social?

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events as told to me by a woman who experienced them firsthand; used with permission. My friend and her long-term boyfriend got engaged. She had always been on good terms with her future in-laws.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events I experienced firsthand; used with permission. I dated a man who was money hungry. My ex-boyfriend worked tirelessly to bilk me out of as much money as possible throughout our eight-year relationship. He considered himself "financially savvy," but it went way deeper than that. He was greedy and sneaky.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events I experienced firsthand; used with permission. My longest relationship lasted twelve years. I do not know how it lasted that long. My boyfriend of more than a decade was the most selfish man I've ever met.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events as told to me by a family member who experienced them firsthand; used with permission. Living in a house with your mother-in-law and your father-in-law is a mistake. Just ask my mother. She told me living in such close proximity to your in-laws can be a nightmare, and I believe her.

Whether you've been physically separated due to circumstances or you've met online and have yet to meet in person, it can be excruciating to be physically apart from your partner. But the physical distance between the two of you doesn't have to mean that you have to be emotionally disconnected. There are plenty of ways to stay connected with your partner and keep things fresh and fun in your relationship until you can be together once again.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events I experienced firsthand; used with permission. My first boyfriend was hardworking and generous. He paid whenever we went out to dinner, whether it was McDonald's or my favorite fancy restaurant with real silverware and lit candles on every table. If we went to the store together, he always bought me a little something.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events I experienced firsthand; used with permission. I dated a man who had a penchant for taking things that didn't belong to him. His habit of shoplifting got him arrested once. It got him fired twice. And it made me extremely angry more times than I can remember.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events as told to me by a family member who experienced them firsthand; used with permission. When my mother was pregnant, nothing was off-limits.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events as told to me by a family member who witnessed them firsthand; used with permission. Fifty years ago, my parents knew a couple who lived next door. This couple came from the same village overseas where my mother lived as a little girl.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events I witnessed firsthand; used with permission. When I got married at nineteen, I didn't realize what a bad idea it was. I didn't realize how young nineteen was.

*This is a work of nonfiction based on actual events I witnessed firsthand; used with permission. It was awkward, and it was a lie. I can't remember where we went or what we did on our first date. What I remember is going back to his house afterward and standing in front of his bedroom window when he kissed me and told me he loved me.