Life was simpler because we were ignorant, not because it was healthier. Which is annoying, I know. Knowledge ruins the vibe before it saves your life.
Back then, you were just “attached,” not diagnosing yourself at 2 a.m. You were “in love,” not Googling whether it was manipulation. You stopped talking because it hurt, not because you were enforcing “no contact” like it’s a legal clause. Fewer words, fewer spirals, more confusion you just sat with.
But here’s the annoying truth. Those words exist because people got hurt. Repeatedly. They are labels for patterns that were wrecking lives quietly while everyone pretended it was romance or loyalty or patience. Language didn’t create the mess. It just turned the lights on.
That said, we’ve swung too far. Now everything is a red flag, every emotion is a disorder, and every breakup needs a strategy deck. Sometimes you’re not anxiously attached. Sometimes you just liked someone. Sometimes it wasn’t love bombing. Sometimes they were just in