My ex-girlfriend used me for sex. How do I move on from the betrayal?
Two weeks later she said she wanted out again, leaving me feeling I had been duped and manipulated. The destruction of trust has eroded much of the confidence I had gained. I have found it impossible to consider starting a new relationship. How do I move on from this feeling and untangle the damage?
No relationship is perfectly easy and uncomplicated. Most involve periods of uncertainly and confusion. You seem to have a pretty good idea about what you do and don't want, so act on that and take charge of your life. Avoid the pitfalls of viewing yourself as a victim. Remove the things that don't work for you, and never re-enter old problems. Refuse to allow the way you may have been treated in the past to stop you finding better relationships, better sexual experiences. You deserve to be happy; allow yourself to be so.
Pamela Stephenson Connolly is a US-based psychotherapist who specialises in treating sexual disorders.
If you would like advice from Pamela on sexual matters, send us a brief description of your concerns to private.lives@theguardian.com (please don't send attachments). Each week, Pamela chooses one problem to answer, which will be published online. She regrets that she cannot enter into personal correspondence. Submissions are subject to our terms and conditions.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medscape
12 minutes ago
- Medscape
Infographic: How Happy Are Doctors With Their Career Today?
A number of US physicians feel less fulfillment from their career than when they began practicing. But most of them highly value the satisfaction they get from treating and interacting with patients. And they assessed the general level of public respect for theirs vs other professions. This infographic presents key insights from a new report offering a detailed snapshot of US physicians' career fulfillment right now. To learn more, check out the Medscape Physician Job Satisfaction Index 2025. Medscape Physician Job Satisfaction Index 2025
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nestlé puts supplements assets on chopping block
Four years after Nestlé spent more than $5bn to acquire a clutch of vitamins and supplements brands, some of the assets look set for disposal. The world's largest food company said today (24 July) that it is launching a 'strategic review of our mainstream and value brands' within the vitamins, minerals and supplements (VMS) business. Nestlé said the assets up for review include Nature's Bounty, Osteo Bi-Flex and Puritan's Pride, along with the private-label VMS business in the US. In 2021, the company forked out $5.75bn to purchase those brands, and the own-label operations in the US, from The Bountiful Company. The deal struck with private-equity firm KKR also included Solgar. Solgar is among the 'premium' VMS brands that Nestlé said today will shape its focus, along with Garden of Life and Pure Encapsulations. Nestlé made no mention on the future of the eight manufacturing facilities in the US that it acquired from Bountiful as part of the KKR transaction. Bountiful was originally founded as Nature's Bounty before it was rebranded in 2017. The acquired assets sit within Nestlé's Health Science portfolio, which also houses the Atrium Innovations VMS assets bought in 2017 for $2.3bn. 'Our VMS business will focus on global premium brands, such as Garden of Life, Solgar and Pure Encapsulations where our capabilities in science, innovation and brand-building give us a distinct competitive edge,' Nestlé explained in its results announcement for the first half of fiscal 2025. Reported sales for Nestlé Health Science dipped 0.4% to SFr3.2bn ($4bn) over the first six months of the year, although organic revenue was up 3.4%. Real internal growth (RIG), which strips out the effect from pricing on the organic numbers, was 3.3% with pricing of 0.1%. 'In VMS, growth was impacted by the discontinuation of some private-label business and weaker performance in our mainstream brands, particularly Puritan's Pride,' Nestlé said. It added that 'sales momentum in premium brands, particularly Pure Encapsulations and Solgar, was partially offset by declines in mainstream and value brands', along with the loss of the own-label business. Barclays' analysts led by Warren Ackerman wrote today that a 'strategic review of mainstream VMS will be welcomed', estimating sales of the assets up for potential disposal at around SFr1bn. China weakness Nestlé reiterated today the 'heightened risks' it flagged at the first-quarter results announcement in April around 'continuing macroeconomic and consumer uncertainties'. Those uncertainties are also evident in China, where Nestlé said today it is 'taking steps to strengthen [its] growth profile'. Nestlé explained in the results commentary: 'In Greater China, we are taking material steps to strengthen performance, including changes in leadership. 'In recent years, we have grown the business by expanding distribution. This model has become challenged by a weaker consumer and the deflationary environment. To deliver sustainable growth, we are now focusing on driving consumer demand by strengthening our value proposition. It will take up to a year to return to sustainable growth.' Financial guidance for 2025 was left unchanged, 'despite factoring in increased headwinds', the KitKat maker said. Nestlé said China weighed on the group's second-quarter organic growth performance by 70 basis points and impacted RIG to the tune of 40 basis points. Organic sales are still forecast to 'improve' compared to 2024's 2.2% print, "strengthening over the year as we continue to deliver on our growth plans'. The outlook for the underlying trading operating profit margin (UTOP) remains 'at or above' 16%. 'We are executing our strategy to accelerate performance and transform for the future,' CEO Laurent Freixe said. 'We are accelerating our category growth and improving our market share through better execution and increased investment, funded through a relentless pursuit of efficiency. These actions are already delivering results, with broad-based growth and a robust profit performance in the first half.' For the group, reported sales fell 1.8% to SFr44.23bn in the first half. Organic growth was 2.9%, accelerating from 2.1% in the same period of 2024. RIG was 0.2%, up from 0.1%. Pricing was 2.7% compared to 2% a year earlier as Nestlé said it 'took actions to address input-cost inflation in coffee and cocoa-related categories'. While confectionery and coffee were the largest organic growth contributors, pricing was 10.6% and 6%, respectively. The UTOP margin dropped to 16.5% from 17.4%. Net profit was also down, falling 10.3% to SFr5.07bn. Underlying earnings per share dropped 5.4% to SFr2.27. Nestlé's shares were down 4.9% at SFr73.93 as of 11:15am BST in the UK today. They are down 0.9% so far this year. "Nestlé puts supplements assets on chopping block" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Here's What to Expect From Medtronic's Next Earnings Report
Galway, Ireland-based Medtronic plc (MDT) designs, manufactures, and distributes a wide range of medical devices, therapies, and digital health solutions used to treat chronic and complex health conditions across global healthcare systems. Valued at a market cap of $118 billion, the company is committed to advancing medical technology to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life. It is scheduled to announce its fiscal Q1 earnings for 2026 before the market opens on Tuesday, Aug. 19. Before this event, analysts project this healthcare giant to report a profit of $1.23 per share, in line with the year-ago quarter. The company has surpassed Wall Street's bottom-line estimates in each of the last four quarters. Its earnings of $1.62 per share in the previous quarter outpaced the consensus estimates by 2.5%. More News from Barchart NVDA Broken Wing Butterfly Trade Targets A Profit Zone Between 150 and 160 Is Opendoor Stock a Buy at New 52-Week Highs? Billionaire Peter Thiel is Betting Big on Stablecoins. Should You Buy the "MicroStrategy of Ethereum," Too? Our exclusive Barchart Brief newsletter is your FREE midday guide to what's moving stocks, sectors, and investor sentiment - delivered right when you need the info most. Subscribe today! For the full year, analysts expect MDT to report EPS of $5.55, up 1.1% from $5.49 per share in fiscal 2025. Furthermore, its EPS is expected to grow 7.9% year-over-year to $5.99 in fiscal 2027. MDT has rallied 15.9% over the past 52 weeks, outpacing both the S&P 500 Index's ($SPX) 14.5% uptick and the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund's (XLV) 8.3% drop over the same time frame. Despite delivering stronger-than-expected results, shares of Medtronic plunged 2.3% after its Q4 earnings release on May 21. The company's revenue improved 3.9% year-over-year to $8.9 billion, topping consensus estimates by 1.1%. Moreover, its adjusted EPS of $1.62 advanced nearly 11% from the year-ago quarter and came in 2.5% above the analyst expectations. Looking ahead to fiscal 2026, Medtronic expects adjusted EPS in the range of $5.50 to $5.60, and anticipates organic sales growth of approximately 5%. Wall Street analysts are moderately optimistic about MDT's stock, with an overall "Moderate Buy" rating. Among 30 analysts covering the stock, 13 recommend "Strong Buy," one indicates a "Moderate Buy," 15 advise 'Hold,' and one suggests a "Strong Sell' rating. The mean price target for Medtronic is $95.83, implying a 4.2% premium from the current levels. On the date of publication, Neharika Jain did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
