There is no saviour: unsolicited advice 5/6

There is no saviour in a relationship. Nobody, no matter how much they love you, can fix you.

If you are looking for the kind of person that soft-rock bands in the 90s sung about (“Wonderwall” by Oasis, “Fix You” by Coldplay), you should leave those ideas behind. Not only is it unrealistic, but it is also unfair to expect your significant other to save you. They are similarly flawed individuals that have their own troubles to deal with. You can help each other work through things, of course, but you cannot expect them to whisk you away to their golden palace or have them turn you into a pouty vampire to mope eternally together.

This isn’t meant to sound cynical. You aren’t doomed to wade through your problems alone — you just have to respect your partner’s problems as well. Don’t make their troubles more difficult for the sake of your own ease. Understand each other. Help each other as best as you can, but do not mistake self-sacrifice for some romantic idea of what love is. Love is a balance of all respects. Strength in yourself is as vital as the strength you have together.

If you can make it through the most difficult of times, your relationship will be stronger because of it.