Psychologists have been studying attachment styles for decades, but in recent years, the concept has generated quite a bit of buzz on social media .

If youre not already familiar, your attachment style, which is essentially a way of understanding how you relate to others in your close relationships, falls into one of four categories: secure, anxious, avoidant (sometimes known as dismissive-avoidant) and disorganized (also known as fearful-avoidant).

You can read more about each attachment style here or take one of these tests (heres a short one and a more in-depth one ) to determine yours and ask your partner to do the same if you think theyd be open to it.

Here, however, well focus on romantic relationships with someone who has an avoidant attachment style characterized by a discomfort with emotional closeness, a deep need for independence and a reluctance to rely on others. Being in a relationship with someone with this attachment style comes with some unique challenges.