Bulletproof by Maci Bookout Read Free Book Online

any craziness or passion, I ran from it. I didn’t know what else to do! To be honest, I have no idea what my emotional outlet is. Maybe my parents did pass down some secret family gift for emotional regulation. Or maybe I’m just crazy. But if there’s a simple explanation, it’s that I really do make an effort not to let things get to me. It’s the way I’ve always been, and if I can help it, it’s the way I’ll always be. I just believe, with every bit of my being, that most negative emotions are a waste of time and energy. Feelings like stress, fear, sadness, and jealousy happen to all of us, but they bring no solutions, and the cause is so often temporary, anyway. Why let pointless negativity tear you apart if you can help it? There’s almost always something more worthwhile you can distract yourself with.
    Even though my philosophy didn’t play exactly how I wanted for the cameras, it served me well the rest of the time. And it definitely helped keep me sane during my first pregnancy. It’s not that I never got stressed. I just told myself, “It’s okay. You’re not gonna die if you don’t get something done. It’s all gonna get done. You know it will. Take it one step at a time. It’s going to be okay.”

CHAPTER 7:
    5 WAYS TO SLOWLY KILL A RELATIONSHIP
     
    1. Keeping all of your feelings to yourself.
     
    I never wanted to be seen as being emotional or jealous or crazy. So if I was ever in a situation where I felt like something disrespectful or shady was going on, I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to risk being accused of overreacting. But since I made no objections, the behavior continued and I just kept getting pissed off about it. The longer I held my silence, the harder it seemed to make a change, and the more resentful I felt.
     
    2. Being disrespectful in private or public.
     
    The way you treat each other in front of friends and family matters. You should never belittle another person, ever. But belittling your partner in front of friends or family is a surefire way to put your relationship on a downward trajectory. It makes the other person embarrassed and insecure, which leaves a resentment that’s slow to fade. And it makes an impression on friends and family that you almost never get a chance to take back. Once your partner’s friends and family turn against you, it’s going to be very hard to have a healthy relationship.
     
    3. Airing too much dirty laundry.
     
    It’s normal to vent to your friends about your relationship. But it’s also easy to get carried away. Your friends and family care about how you’re treated, and if you paint a negative picture in their eyes, it will be very difficult to erase. Even if your partner wins your forgiveness back, your friends and family will find it harder to move past what they heard. Worse yet, you might feel like you’re being judged for putting up with all the things you said you couldn’t stand.
     
    4. Sex.
     
    It can bring you closer together. But if you do it irresponsibly, it can also tear you apart. It’s all fun and games until someone gets pregnant. Don’t be stupid. Be careful!
     
    5. Forgetting how to be friends.
     
    Relationships are work, but they’re not just work. It shouldn’t feel like a constant stream of chores and problems. You have to be business partners, parenting partners, and sex partners, but you also have to be friends. Never forget how important it is just to like each other. Spend time bonding and making each other laugh. Always leave room for friendship between you. You can always still love somebody, but once you don’t like them anymore, that’s when you’re in trouble.

CHAPTER 8:
    PUPPY LOVE
     
    Neither one of us did any sort of preparing for the actual delivery. At least, I could assume Ryan didn’t. It was something neither one of us discussed. Chalk up another one for youth and ignorance, but we figured we’d know what to do when the time came. And in my case, I felt a