PH
Romantic relationships don't only influence how people feel in the present.
Partners often become incorporated into future plans involving careers, housing, travel, family, and personal goals.
Researchers studying self-expansion have found that close relationships can influence people's sense of self and future possibilities.
This means losing a serious relationship can involve losing an imagined future as well as losing the person.
That's one reason a breakup can hurt even when someone knows the relationship wasn't working.
Sometimes you're grieving things that never actually happened.
© Journal of Social and Personal Relationships