Staying Independent

You know the type. It is that girl who has dedicated every thought she has since her waking moment to her so-called future "husband." She has made her Myspace and her Facebook page into a virtual shrine to her significant other. Her screen name is followed by the date of their anniversary. She talks about him. She dreams about him. She only doodles their name in hearts and pictures of their future children. It has gotten to the point where you practically have to text her every now and then in the hope that your buddy is still capable of breathing on her own. Even your outside world contact attempts can't change the fact that they remain "unavailable. " It is official, even without proper diagnosis, they have been hit. A victim of the widespread illness that takes over ones body from the minute they say "yes, I'll be your girlfriend." Yup. She has it. She's caught the Can't-live-without-my-boyfriend-phobia.

Does any of this sound familiar? You might even recognize some of these symptoms in your own behavior! It is a very contagious illness that is caused by no one but yourself! When one of your friends becomes so obsessed in a relationship, it can get annoying, and you can start to feel like they are becoming, well, somewhat less of an actual person-- they have lost their individual status and adopted a "we" instead "I" mentality. However, don't assume that just because you can realize when a friend is too dependent this means that you are exempt from displaying signs of this behavior when you too are tied down by the ropes of love.