Something is missing. Others have it. I have been abandoned.
What helps Romantics
Loss is real. It needs to be properly mourned and then set aside.
Self-absorbed sadness can be broken by physical activity and service
to others.
Eliminate self-sabotage and incompletes. Finish projects.
See through push-pull patterns of relating. Romantics desire the
unavailable
and reject what's easy to obtain.
Discover a version in oneself of what is enviable in others.
Quiet the attraction toward dramatic acting out. Inform others about
how to handle your mood swings. The steady presence of a partner softens
fears of abandonment.
Focus on the good in what's available rather than on what's missing.
Build support systems to handle periods of sadness.
Expect that intimacy may trigger fears of loss and abandonment.
Recognize the sweetness of melancholy and the ability to help others
in pain.
Helen Palmer
The Pocket Enneagram:
Understanding the 9 Types of People
Harper & Row, 1988, 90 pages