For the bloke who knows something's off, but can't quite name it.

I spent years building a business to with the goal to support my family. From the outside it looked like I had it sorted. I was a well-meaning bloke who never wanted confrontation, but that meant not standing up for myself saying yes when I meant no, and often burying whatever was really going on under a pile of work.

After two relationships ended, I saw what the common denominator: ME. So I started learning to listen the way other people wanted to be listened to, and to say what's actually true for me. Because I don't want to be the guy who starts his life over for a third time. I have learned a lot about myself, and how people communicate - or more often the case, DON'T communicate, in the ways they need to.

Something's off, but you can't quite name it.

You can't put your finger on what's wrong, but you know something's up. You might not have admitted it to yourself yet. You're working, maybe running things, keeping everyone going and carrying more than anyone knows. There's stuff you'd like to say about the pressure and the worries, but it's hard to find the words without feeling judged. So it stays in your head.

The nice guy who bends too far.

You're a decent bloke and you hate conflict, so you say yes when you mean no and swallow what you really think. Somewhere along the way you stopped standing up for yourself, and it keeps landing you in situations that aren't really yours to carry. The pattern repeats, and you're left wondering how you ended up here again.

Starting over.

When a relationship ends, the easiest thing to do is throw yourself into work, keep your head down and move on. But unless you understand what actually happened, the same patterns have a way of following you. Breaking the cycle starts with honest reflection.

Men's Life & Relationship Check