Dear Sugars Repost: Should I Stay Or Go?
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Feb 21, 2026 Rapid-fire letters explore whether to stay in or leave relationships. Topics include emotional affairs, delaying divorce for health insurance, supporting a partner chasing adventure, choosing pets over a partner, and escaping emotional abuse for a child’s safety. The conversation weighs persistent doubts, moral concerns, and practical planning for change.
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Wanting To Leave Can Be A Real Signal
- Wanting to leave can be a valid, core truth that signals the need for change.
- Cheryl Strayed describes her own marriage: she loved her husband but felt a burning missing core that ultimately required ending the marriage to find herself.
Step Back From Emotional Affairs
- Step back from covert emotional intimacy that belongs in a primary partnership.
- Steve Almond advises bowing out of an "emotional affair" with a married friend until the couple figures out whether their marriage can heal.
Negotiate A Short Delay To Keep Health Insurance
- It's moral to delay divorce to secure health insurance if you negotiate honestly.
- Cheryl Strayed suggests asking your estranged spouse to delay filing for a specific period to preserve benefits while you stabilize your mental health and finances.