Is Affection Being Withheld, or Has Intimacy Been Neglected?

You have started rationing your requests for affection, asking for less than you want just to improve your odds of getting any of it. Affection can be withheld in ways that make you work harder for ordinary warmth.

Pause with the kind of tenderness you are receiving in the ordinary moments of this relationship. Honest answers will help this reflection show whether affection feels freely given or carefully rationed.