Abandonment issues begin in infancy and as a child when your parents/caregivers weren't able to be there for you in the capacity that you truly needed them, whether it was physically or emotionally. To survive those situations you learned specific mechanisms to cope, such as being super clingy or extremely detached, so that you wouldn't continue to get hurt by their actions. Now these survival instincts are programmed into your subconscious mind, so that in every relationship in your life you exhibit these same behaviors. You navigate through life with these beliefs and as soon as someone in a romantic, platonic, or familial relationship triggers that belief you enter fight or flight mode and instantly activate these responses. All of your relationships thus become mirrors of the family dynamic you grew up in, for better or for worse. You experience a constant fear that you may be abandoned, so you either cling on for dear life or put your guard up so that no one can hurt you. Tune in to hear my personal experiences with abandonment and how it negatively impacted every single relationship in my life, as well as the lessons I've learned and how I am navigating through my healing journey.