Status Updates From The Science of Stuck: Break...

You can be in a relationship only with a person, not a potential.

...some shocking statistics from a Harvard Women's Health Watch article: "One study, which examined data from more than 309,000 people, found that lack of strong relationships increased the risk of premature death from all causes by 50% – an effect on mortality risk roughly comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day."

Boundaries never require input or compliance from another person. For example, you might try to set a boundary with your wife that you want to get to the airport two hours ahead of departure. Asking her to leave early is a request. A boundary would be to tell her, "If you choose not to leave for the airport on time, I will choose to take an Uber and meet you there." Boundaries are all about you and your choices.

There's a famous Buddhist saying that you can apply to intimacy: "Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional." Said another way, conflict is inevitable, but fighting is optional.