And what about the niggling sense you may have at times when in relationships that something is amiss? Do you trust your gut? Or do you wait for evidence?

When there is the possibility of imminent harm, you always trust your gut. But when you are not sure of a situation, examine previous patterns of your behavior and the other person’s behavior.

How have you responded in the past? Did you get the result you hoped for? Was the outcome healthy for you both physically and emotionally?

If not, you may be in a habitual response pattern that requires breaking the chain at some point. You may need to substitute a new behavior for the previous one–and it does not necessarily have to be a big change. This will result in a new, more positive outcome for you.

More on that next time!