I don’t know who needs to hear this so I’ll just leave it here.

• You got out of a toxic relationship, but you are still indulging in toxic behaviors (lurking, thirst-trapping, trying to get their attention)

• You told them not to call you but you keep taking the number off block

• You put your ex on block, but you’re still checking their social media

• You paid off your debt, but you still can’t control the desire to spend on frivolous things

• You got out of a bad habit or addiction, but you still hang around the people who use

• You claim to forgive them but you still talk about what they did to you every chance you get

• You said it’s because they just won’t leave you alone, but you’re the one who keeps going back

• You told your unequally yoked mate that it was over, but you still want to be friends

• You got out of that horribly oppressive job, but you’re still trying to sabotage the company after you’ve left

• You cut off the affair with that married man/woman, but you still find a way to convince yourself they’ll come back to you

• You broke off your relationship with a hurtful, abusive person, but now you are suspicious and distrusting of every new person you meet 

• You decided to let go of the past hurts from growing up in an unstable family environment, yet you believe you are unworthy of love from others and you refuse to get attached to anyone 

Emotional baggage is the intangible but very real emotional weight we carry due to unresolved issues or traumas from previous relationships or childhood, according to Chicago-based clinical psychologist John Duffy. And sometimes, we create baggage in our own lives when we refuse to break cycles that are unhealthy for us. This is evident in our relationships with ex lovers, family and friends. When we perpetuate the circumstances of things we vowed to release, we contribute to our own pain.

WHEN YOU PUT THE DEVIL OUT, PLEASE MAKE SURE HE TAKES HIS BAGS, TOO, OTHERWISE, HE’LL BE BACK.