If you’ve ever wondered how your partner can seem perfectly content while you’re feeling disconnected, frustrated, or even lonely in your relationship, you’re not imagining it. Many couples live with this imbalance — one person feeling the ache of “something’s missing” while the other feels like things are mostly fine.

At the center of every healthy relationship — with ourselves and with others — lies one essential truth: our worth is inherent. It isn’t earned by achievements, behavior, beauty, or success. It isn’t taken away by failures, heartbreaks, or mistakes.

It’s the ability to understand and manage your own emotions, recognize and respond to your partner’s emotions, and navigate challenges without blowing up or shutting down.

Therapy should be about helping people grow, not confirming the worst things they already believe about each other.

Turns out, relationship quality has measurable effects on heart health—and in Canada, some hospitals are actually integrating relationship-focused programs into cardiology care.