5 Effective Ways To Co-Parent
Co-parenting can be challenging whether or not you are in a romantic relationship or are no longer together as a couple. Co-parenting takes understanding, patience, and mutual respect to do it effectively.
Children can be healthy and happy, even if their parents are not together and divorced, but in order for that to happen, both parents have to work together and be willing to meet their counterpart halfway. Advice is always easier said than done, but I think we can all agree that when it comes to our children, the effort is always worth it. Here are 5 effective ways to co-parent.
5 Ways To Effectively Co-Parent
Communicate
Great communication is always essential when it comes to any relationship, but even more so for two individuals to work together for a common goal. Co-parenting requires both parents to share their thoughts and feeling about the children and to listen to their counterparts.
A happy, healthy, and successful co-parenting relationship comes down to good communication.
Keep It About the Children
Whether you are madly in love with your partner or still hurting from a painful split, your parenting decisions should be about the children and their well-being. Parenting choices should not be about the other parent.
You may be dealing with a new boyfriend or girlfriend in your ex’s life, or perhaps they have even married, which may cause you some heartache or anger for you. But remember the beautiful child or children you two share. It is important to not use the children to control, manipulate, or punish the other parent.
Be Kind To Each Other
You should not intentionally undermine or try to usurp the other parent’s parental authority. This rule really comes into play if the relationship is going through challenging times or the parents are no longer together.
Choose kindness, if not for the other person you once cared about, then do it for your children. The children will benefit from the positive co-parenting relationship.
Be Willing To Compromise
When it comes to our children, there may some non-negotiables in regards to the rules you lay down. Whether you are a couple or no longer together, you are likely aligned one hundred percent on every issue in regards to your children.
Whether it’s about the food they are allowed to eat, how much television they get or the activities they participate in, there is bound to be some conflict. It is okay for there to be disagreements and different points of view but be willing to see other parents’ side of things and don’t dig your heels if you really do not have an issue with their parenting call. Be willing to talk it out and come to a consensus.
Present A United Front
Strive to always present a united front. It’s a bad idea to make your children think they can pit you two against one another in order to get their way. As sweet and wonderful as our children are, they will play you and your partner if it means they can get their way. Do not be fooled into thinking your little angel is above it.
To avoid this trap, discuss parenting disagreements outside of your children’s presence, and do not try to score the “cool parent” points by going against the other parent’s wishes outside their presence. This will only backfire on you in the end.
Parenting is not easy. Children do not come with a handbook and mistakes will be made. There is no magic formula to raising perfect children. All we can do as a parent is do our best, with the best intentions.
What are your thoughts on co-parenting? Do you agree with my advice? What advice would you give others? Please share your thoughts and experience!
“At the end of the day, you’ve got to be a little selfless. You have to say ‘It’s not about us. This didn’t work out quite how we wanted it to, but look at the amazing blessing that we have in these wonderful children.’ So you kinda put everything else to the side and really focus.” – Nick Cannon
Rushing Love?...5 Reasons To Fall In Love Slowly
Dating is one thing but falling in love ups the ante. When it comes to love many will say, “when you know, you know’” And that saying applies in some cases, but in most cases, not so much. In the early stages of romantic relationships, our heads tend to be in the clouds.
You may be thinking how in the world do I fall in love slowly, or saying “I cannot help how I feel”. To which I say, you have more control than you think you do. I am not saying for you to not to fall in love, I am just suggesting that you give time and space for the rational thoughts to come into play.
5 Reasons To Fall In Love Slowly
You Need To Get To Know Them
Falling in love with a stranger is a dangerous act. It is completely possible that this new person is your forever person and soulmate, but in the beginning, it is too early to tell. You don’t know them, and won’t know them for a while, despite how connected you feel to them.
In the first year or two, the masks are still on. Over time people will let down their guards and show you the real them. The real them is the person you want to base your decisions on, not who they pretended to be to charm you and win you over.
You Need Time To Assess
Once you have gotten to know them to some degree, now you need to figure out if you are compatible in the long run. It takes time to get to know someone. Getting to know someone is not a process that can be rushed, no matter how great they seem.
You will also need time to decide if you actually like the real them because you may not. We are all flawed and have some pretty good ideas of what those flaws are. In a new relationship, we tend to mask those flaws, but eventually, they come out and once they tend to come out, and once they do, you may find some dealbreakers.
You Need To Have The Hard Conversations
You definitely do want to scare someone off early on by talking about certain topics. But if you are hoping for a relationship to go somewhere serious, the discussions will need to eventually happen. Do they want to get married? Do you want children? Are they religious? What are their political views?
All of their answers to the big questions may be a dealbreaker. Maybe you really want to get married, but they don’t believe in marriage. Or perhaps you have opposing political views, that cause heated debates and arguments. None of these topics are likely discussed early on but may be dealbreakers in the long run.
You Need to Meet Their People
You can learn a lot about someone by meeting the people they choose to have in their life. Some friends and family members can be a huge thorn in a relationship’s side.
You should remember that family is not chosen, but friends are. If he has friends that are big liars and cheaters, that says something about his judgment and may be reflective of what he thinks is okay as well.
Give Time For True Colors To Show
You need to ask yourself some tough questions and be honest with yourself. Ask yourself what the rush is. The mask is on early in the relationship and once it comes off you may not like what is beneath them. What is more important to you? Being in a relationship with someone just for the sake of not being alone, or finding that special someone you really vibe and connect with and that can be a lasting partnership? You could have both if you are patient, but rushing it may ruin everything.
I am not saying to fight your feelings, but instead give your heart and mind time to assess, because let’s be honest, sometimes the heart gets it wrong. Odds are they are not the one, and you are not in love, but instead infatuated and headed for heartbreak.
What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you dive headfirst into relationships or do you take your time and have a long courtship? Please share your thoughts and stories!
I fall in love too easily, I fall in love too fast
I fall in love too terribly hard, for love to ever last
My heart should be well schooled, 'cause I've been fooled in the past
And still I fall in love too easily, I fall in love too fast - Sammy Cahn
Here’s Why You Should Never Date A Coworker
We all spend so much of our time at work. Work can be stressful and draining, and honestly sometimes boring. So, when we meet someone at work who makes the mundane workday seem less dull, and more fun and exciting, we may gravitate towards them.
Falling for them may be easy, even if you have a “no dating coworkers” rule. There is just something about them that says, “to hell with my rule”, and that they are worth breaking it. They may be worth it. You never know.
Finding someone is great but in reality, dating someone you work with has far more cons than pros.
Here’s Why You Should Never Date A Coworker
Dating a Coworker Looks Unprofessional
Real life is not Grey’s Anatomy. In reality, it is frowned upon to date coworkers as it is considered unprofessional and tends to create unnecessary drama and distractions in the workplace.
Depending on the profession and workplace, and the positions of those involved, there may be issues of favoritism, nepotism, and unfair labor practices. Basically, it creates a human resources nightmare. Not a good look for someone hoping to move up in the company.
Dating a Coworker Creates Workplace Drama
You and your partner normally go to lunch together, but the day after a fight you are ignoring each other and creating a bit of workplace tension. Relationships naturally have ups and downs but when you also work with your partner it can be very hard to leave the drama at home. Romance and anger are likely to show up in one form or another at work.
Having time apart from a partner is a good thing but when you work together, time apart is challenging, if not impossible.
Other Coworkers Will Be In Your Business
Everyone has an opinion on your relationship. A workplace relationship gets added to the rest of the workplace gossip. Your relationship is under constant scrutiny, with continuous speculation of its status.
Coworkers may take notice that you are no longer taking lunches together, or it may be noticed that one of you is spending a lot of time chatting up the attractive new receptionist.
Your relationship is technically no one’s business, but when you brought your relationship to the workplace, you made it everybody’s business whether you like it or not.
Your Workplace Relationship Won’t Last
Just like any other relationship, the odds of it lasting and them being your forever person is very low. Breakups happen. It is the nature of dating and love to come to an end, but when you work with your ex, the breakup is far more complicated.
You have to continue to be professional and pretend that all is good, even when it is not. You may have coworkers choose sides and decide to not hang out with you anymore. You may also have to watch them move on and date another coworker.
Your Workplace Relationship Is Distracting
Whether you are feeling madly in love with the newness of your relationship, or you two have split and are trying to move on, there is a degree of distraction for both of you in the workplace.
The breakup residuals and pain won’t last forever, but if you are nursing a broken heart, it may make you feel miserable to see them day after day. You may even consider leaving your job in order to distance yourself from them.
I am not saying you cannot successfully date and fall in love with a coworker, but it can be very tricky and may not be worth it in the end. The larger the company the better. Also working in different departments helps negate some coworker relationship issues.
We cannot help who we fall for. The heart wants what the heart wants, right? But avoiding some situations, when possible, may be wise. While we cannot help who we crush on and fall for, we can do things to try to steer the heart in a different direction, such as distancing ourselves and even avoiding that certain someone whenever possible.
What are your thoughts? Have you ever dated a coworker? What happened? Did it work out and would you ever do it again? Please share your thoughts and experience!
“We started with a simple hello and ended with a complicated goodbye.” - Unknown
6 Signs You’re Obsessed With Him
Infatuation can happen to anyone at any age in life. Surprisingly it is not just for teens although often associated with a school crush or favorite movie star or boy band. Infatuations can and may happen periodically throughout your entire life.
I think for many of us when we think of infatuation we think of posters on the walls of our teen bedroom or doodling his or her name over and over again in our notebook. But the reality is you could be infatuated with your college professor or the barista at the corner cafe. Or maybe even infatuated with your boss or the nanny. You could even be in a committed relationship and be infatuated with someone.
When you are infatuated with someone you have strong feelings of love or passion for them that make you unable to think clearly or sensibly about them. The keywords to the infatuation definition are clearly and sensibly because we are blinded by their beauty or charm. If you are wondering if you are infatuated, here are the signs to look for.
6 Signs of Infatuation
They are Always on your Mind
The big thing with infatuation is that you cannot stop thinking about that certain person. They are always on your mind. Thoughts of them can be extremely intrusive, and almost like a drug or an addiction, you need a fix. You need to see them. You need to talk to them. You need some sort of interaction to feel better and get that emotional high they give you.
It’s crazy, but when you are infatuated by someone they are somehow always on your mind.
You Feel Sad or Depressed When You Cannot See or Interact With Them
You feel absolutely miserable when you cannot see or speak to the object of your infatuation. You know it is bad when your moods and emotional well-being are negatively impacted by not seeing them or by not talking to them.
This is such an unhealthy place to find yourself. If your infatuation is causing you emotional distress it is time to pull away and let it go if your crush has no interest in you or is unavailable to you. Pining after someone you cannot have is a miserable state to be in and no way to treat yourself. You deserve better.
You Feel Jealous and Possessive of Them
Chances are, you are not in a romantic relationship with the one you are infatuated with, but you wish you were or hope to be. Until that time, in your mind they are yours and you get very jealous at the thought or sight of them with someone you view as a romantic rival.
You feel almost an ownership of the object of your infatuation. You become hurt, sad, and even infuriated by the mere thought of them giving another man or woman attention.
You Think They Are Perfect
You see the object of your infatuation as perfect. You do not see their flaws. You do not really see them. No one is perfect but when it comes to your infatuation you are only seeing what you want to see. They can do no wrong.
You see the gorgeous guy or girl who is super sweet. But that’s it. Your assessment of their character stopped there. There is more to them than their looks and the fantasy life you created in your mind. You just have to be willing to look open your eyes to reality.
You Would Do Anything For Them
There is practically nothing they could ask you to do that you would say no to. You just want to please them. You just want to make them happy. And you want them to feel the same way about you that you feel about them.
Unfortunately, this tactic almost never works. Being at someone’s beck and call shows a lack of self-worth and self-respect. If you cannot love and respect yourself how can you expect others to love and respect you? Besides, would a truly great person use you and have you at their beck and call?
You Cannot Bear The Thought of Not Having Them
Your infatuation is obsessive. If they have a boyfriend or girlfriend you may try to ruin it. You may even stalk them on social media or even in person. All I can say is “do not do it”. It is not worth it. He or she is not worth it. The behavior is not healthy and if they require all this effort they do not deserve you.
If you have made your feelings known and they did not reciprocate you have to let it go and move on. But you take comfort in knowing that you tried but also knowing that you cannot force a relationship. Do not worry, because you know fishes in the sea and all that.
Infatuation usually fades but can just as easily turn into an unhealthy obsession. Believe me, if you are doing any of the six signs above you are not in love. This is a phase. A passing fancy. An infatuation and it will pass. And once it does, you will likely look back and laugh and maybe even ask yourself “what were you thinking” focusing so much time and energy on that person.
What are your thoughts on being infatuated? When was the last time you were infatuated with someone? Did you get the guy or girl? Please share your thoughts and experience!
“Every time he looked at me I felt like I'd touched my tongue to the tip of a battery. In art class I'd watch him lean back and listen and I was nothing but zing and tingle. After a while, the tingle turned to electricity, and when he asked me out my whole body amped to a level where technically I should have been dead. I had nothing in common with a sheddy like him, but a girl doesn't think straight when she's that close to electrocution.” ― Cath Crowley, Graffiti Moon
5 Signs He’s Playing Mind Games
Mind games are relationship manipulations that keep you both mentally and emotionally off balance. Mind games are usually about feeding the ego. In order to feed the ego, a guy who plays mind games will string you along for as long as possible, because you know, it’s all about him.
Mind games are cruel and misleading and are far too common in the dating world. It’s not only about ego, it can also be about control and self-preservation but playing mind games can lead to people really getting hurt. No one wants to be led on or toyed with.
To protect yourself, it’s important to know if you are being played so you don’t get hurt. Here are the signs to look for to know if he is playing mind games.
5 Signs He’s Playing Mind Games
He’s Hot and Cold
Sometimes it’s all about you. He is giving you lots of attention and affection and making you feel special. You actually start to believe that this could be something real between the two of you.
Just when you were starting to let your guard down and catch feelings he starts giving you the cold shoulder and it’s like you do not exist. He basically stops calling or texting. He doesn’t even really return your calls or texts or take forever to respond if he does. And if he sees you out and about he will barely acknowledge you and instead force you to create an interaction with him.
This is a huge power play and mind game tactic. He is showing you he’s in control of this relationship and can stop dealing with you whenever he wants without a care in the world.
He Disappears
He was calling or coming around all the time, and then suddenly nothing. He basically ghosts you temporarily. Then he reappears as if nothing happened. Why did he do this? Well, because he can and because he’s testing you and playing mind games. But in the process, he may have got you thinking you did something wrong or said something wrong. He made you question yourself.
His motivation? He wants to see just how easily you are manipulated and how desperate you are to have him. These are huge red flags and a major power play on his part.
He Tells What You Want To Hear
He says the right things but his actions seemed to be the opposite. You ask if he is seeing other people and he denies it or dodges the question completely. You have seen him with other girls but he says they are just friends even though there are tons of rumors about him being an untrustworthy player.
He tells you that you are special to him and says he cares for you but after spending time with him you often feel used and more like a side chick or booty call than a potential mate or girlfriend.
He’s Seeing Other Girls
In his defense, I guess, he may have made it clear that you are not the only one he’s seeing or that he has a lot of female friends. But when you are together he lays it on thick, making you feel like he is really into you and that he has strong feelings for you. Which is confusing because how could he be this way with you and have feelings for others too, right?
That is the mind game part. That is the player playing you and reeling you in. Guys who do this are not falling for you, and they do not have romantic feelings for you. They are grooming you to reciprocate a false love story they have created to get what they want from you and keep you waiting in the wings.
Makes You Feel Bad About Yourself
He dangles a future with him. If you were a little sexier, or your boobs were bigger, or if you were just skinnier he could see a future with you. He always manages to make you feel like you are not good enough for him. Like you will never be good enough for him.
But he gives you just enough attention and romance to make you want to be enough to truly win him over. This is him playing on your self-esteem issues. This is playing mind games. This is him slowly tearing you down. Now ask yourself, is this really a guy you want a future with.
At the end of the day, it should not come down to how hot he is or how much money he has but how he treats you and how he makes you feel about him and you.
Here’s the thing, if a guy is playing mind games he already knows that he is really not that into you. But that won’t stop him from using you when he is lonely or needs to feel good about himself. If he really cared about you he would not make you feel so confused or like you are less than all of the time. You deserve better than a guy who plays mind games with you.
What are your thoughts on dealing with a man playing games? Do you agree with my list? How do you handle a guy playing mind games? Do you play them right back or bounce? What is your experience? Please share!
“In a narcissist's world, you are not their one and only. You are an extension of that person and last place in their mind, while they secure back up narcissistic supply.” ― Shannon L. Alder
Gender Roles In Marriage...Is "Taming" A Woman Still A Thing?
This topic came to mind as I was watching the series Miss Scarlet and The Duke. The series combines both elements of mystery and the classic undertones of a slow-burn romance. Set in a time when women were second-class citizens and men were in charge, women were expected to be passive, unopinionated, and to follow the man’s lead.
Depending on the country you live in or your religious affiliation not much may have changed. However, from my American woman's point of view, everything has changed. But if that’s the case why do so many relationships seem to struggle with gender roles and expectations from the female partner?
I suppose it’s not necessarily so much about taming a woman as it is about domesticating her and reverting a modern woman to a housewife from yesteryears. Let’s discuss.
Young single women often ask the question of what do men want. What are men looking for in a potential mate? Here’s what men say they are looking for in a potential mate.
Attractive
Nice and Kind
Intelligent
Independent
Easy to Be With
Notice how good cook, housekeeper, and mommy material are not the priorities stated by men when most are looking for mates. But somewhere along the way expectations and desired attributes seem to change.
Modern relationships start off with two young adults dating and getting married and possibly starting a family. Both were independent individuals prior to the nuptials with their own dreams and goals, yet once rings are on their fingers expectations and relationship roles slowly start to change.
Although this was a “modern” relationship, traditional roles and behaviors slowly rear their ugly heads. At first, it may seem cute cooking dinner every night for your man, and doing the laundry, and all the other domestic stuff but then you say, “Hey, wait a minute, I work too, so why am I doing everything?”
Did you know that women, whether you are a stay-at-home or work outside the home, do most of the cooking, house cleaning, and child care? According to one study by Oxfam and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, women spend two more hours each day on housework and child care.
Whether you work from home, are a stay-at-home mom, or work outside of the home, balance in household and child-rearing responsibilities is important for not only your relationship but your own mental and emotional well-being.
If you are feeling overburdened and unsupported, discuss it with your partner and do not allow resentment and frustrations to grow and fester. Communicate and let your feelings be known.
What are your thoughts on taming women and how we can go from independent women to domesticated homemakers by simply saying “I do”? Please share your thoughts. Do you disagree? What has been your experience? Please share!
“Stop making excuses for them. … They have eyes! They can see that the toilet paper roll needs changing and the wastebasket is full and that there is no more orange juice and we drink orange juice and orange juice is sold in grocery stores. They’ve trained themselves not to notice things because the less they notice the more we’ll just take care of it for them. They say, you should have told me you wanted my help when we had twelve people coming over for dinner! You should have told me not to sit in front of the computer looking at football scores while you’re running around doing everything by yourself. If you needed my help why didn’t you ask for it? I didn’t know you needed help. It’s madness.” ― Jeanne Ray, Calling Invisible Women
What Do When You Have Fallen Out Of Love With Your Significant Other
You promised forever but your heart is no longer in it. Perhaps you cannot pinpoint the moment you fell out of love with your significant other, or perhaps you actually can, but either way, the feelings are gone and you are torn about what to do.
It may surprise you, but romantic love in relationships can be cyclical. Yep, it’s true. Over the course of a long-term relationship, you may fall in and out of love with your partner, many times. Or you may fall out of love and are never able to get that loving, romantic feeling back.
You have some choices to make if or when you find yourself in this situation.
What To Do When You Have Fallen Out Of Love
Make An Effort To Reconnect
Sometimes we fall out of love because we sort of forget about one another. We get so busy with other things in life like work or children that we forget to nurture one of our most important relationships.
If you notice a lack of connection with your partner, it is important to try to get your relationship and your connection to one another back on track. You can reconnect by talking and listening to one another. Or by doing things together that require conversation and interaction.
So no plopping down on the couch in front of the television. Try going out for a nice dinner or just on a walk together, and build up to a trip with just the two of you. Spending time together will either help make you closer or help you make a decision about ending things.
Become Friends
As I have said many times before, friendship, true friendship is the real foundation of a long-lasting, loving relationship. We trust our friends, we depend on our friends, and we confide in our friends.
It is important to be that safe place for each other. If you were never friends, this may be a good time to explore a friendship with each other and see where that takes you. People in relationships fall in and out of love, but having a friendship with one another can get you through that lull in love.
Self-Reflect
You need to figure out what has changed. Has your partner changed or have you changed? Has your partner committed an unforgivable deal breaker?
Self-reflection is an important tool to use in deciding where do you go from here. Do you no longer want to be married, are you struggling mentally and emotionally, or do you think the relationship has run its course?
You may not like the conclusion you come to after reflecting on how you got to this place, but it knowing the answer will help you move forward, either with your partner or alone.
Relationship Counseling
Counseling can help, especially if you have identified a cause for your change of heart but still want to work things out. Of course, your partner also has to be a willing participant for couple’s counseling to work, but either way, it is worth a shot.
You may also want to consider individual counseling. Counseling just for you will assist with some much-needed self-reflection and will help you process your feelings and emotions about no longer being in love with your partner.
Relationships are work. Some relationships are hard work. And some relationships are not worth the work. At the end of the day, only you can decide if the relationship is worth fighting for. Is it worth the work and effort you need to put in to make things better or do you just want to be done and move on with your life? It’s a difficult decision but and a necessary one if you are no longer in love.
What are your thoughts on handling a relationship when you have fallen out of love? Do you agree with my recommendations? What would you do? Please share your thoughts and experience!
“The way I see it, you mostly stop loving a person the same way you stop respecting them. It can happen all at once if something enormous and terrible falls over the two of you. But for the most part, it happens in inches. In a thousand tiny moments of contempt that unravel the image you had of the person you thought you knew.”
― Sarah Gailey, The Echo Wife
How To Accept What You Cannot Control
One does not need to be a control freak in order to want to control most or all aspects of their life. Unfortunately, the reality is that there are many things in our lives we have no control over.
Accepting the fact that we cannot control certain situations or certain people, especially partners and children, can be challenging for some, to say the least. And frustrating and anxiety-inducing for others.
The easiest outlook to have is to just say “it is what it is” with situations beyond our control but of course that is always easier said than done. While the words may not work there are behaviors you can change that make having a lack of control more bearable.
Ways To Accept What You Can’t Control
Focus On What You Can Control
It is very easy to hyperfocus and stress over situations and people we cannot control. The fact is, we can only control ourselves, and sometimes we may not be able to even control what is happening to our own bodies.
Regardless of what the circumstance or situation is, there will be one element within your control, and that is your response to it. Focus on you. Focus on your mental and physical health which will get you through this challenging time.
Let It Go
As hard as it may be, sometimes the best thing you can do is just let it go. Let that stressful job go. Or let go of that toxic friendship that leaves you feeling like crap. And let go and accept that the man or woman you have been pining after for years will never return your love or love you the way you deserve.
Decompress
Whether it is hitting the gym, going for a run, or meditating, decompressing is key to coping with and accepting circumstances beyond your control.
What are your thoughts on accepting what you can’t control? Do you find it difficult or have you found techniques that work for you? Please share your thoughts and experience!
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” ― Lao Tzu
Self-Love First For A Healthy Relationship
Self-love is about loving yourself, respecting yourself, and putting yourself first. Self-love is a hard concept for many, especially women, and even more so for mothers. Some might think that the concept of putting yourself first is selfish. People have a lot of opinions, myself included.
We spend so much time taking care of our loved ones. Whether you are taking care of your children, spouse, and or aging parents, it can be hard to remember to take care of yourself.
If your goal is to have healthy, loving relationships with others, including romantic ones, you need to start with self-love first. Here are some ways to show yourself and build a mentally and emotionally better you.
Ways To Give Yourself Some Love
Eat Healthily
You don’t have to deprive yourself of all the foods and drinks that you love to enjoy but there is something to be said about moderation. Fried foods and sugary foods and drinks can be addicting but can also make you feel like crap and cause health issues.
When you eat well you feel good.
Visit Your Doctor
Nobody loves going to the doctor. I mean, after all, the “white coat syndrome” exists for a reason. But regular checkups and physicals can literally save your life.
Going in for regular checkups with your doctor is important for preventative care and staying healthy. Prioritizing your health is an act of self-love.
Exercise
Exercise is great for you both mentally and physically. Exercise is not only a great way to stay fit and healthy, it is also a great tool for managing stress, and anxiety, and the everyday pressures put on you.
Exercising creates endorphins, which are feel-good hormones. When we exercise we feel happier and happy people are infectious.
Hang Out With Friends
Time spent with great friends is one of the best ways to spend your free time. Spending time with friends is a great stress reliever. Gives you time to share, vent, laugh, and bond.
Friends also provide you with a great support system and can be a nice distraction from some of the more unpleasant things in your life.
Enjoy “Me” Time
You deserve some “me” time. We all do. Your “me time” can be as busy or as lazy as you want it to be. It can be going on a road trip by yourself, sitting and reading quietly, or going to a salon to get your hair or nails done.
The point of “me time” is that it is about you. The focus is you and what makes you happy or what you find relaxing.
The bottom line Is to be kind to yourself. You deserve it. As the saying goes, “ If you cannot love yourself, how in the hell can you love somebody else.” Being a natural caretaker is wonderful but that should also include taking care of yourself because if you don’t, you will stress out or burn out.
What are your thoughts on self-love? What do you do to take care of yourself. Please share your thoughts and experience!
"This life is mine alone. So I have stopped asking people for directions to places they've never been." - Glennon Doyle
5 Signs He’s Thinking About You More Than He Admits
Do you ever just lay in bed or working at your job or maybe just out and about driving and you can’t help thinking about that certain person and wonder if they are thinking about you too? Of course, you do. If they are on your mind and in your thoughts, the hope is that they are being haunted just as much with thoughts of you.
Unfortunately, they may not come out and tell you just how much they think about you and basically miss you, but some of their actions may give away their true feelings.
When we care about someone deeply or are newly falling in love, they tend to be on our minds a lot. They are on our minds when we go to sleep, and immediately in our thoughts when we wake up in the morning. We are always thinking about them in one way or another. Here are the signs that he‘s always thinking about you.
5 Signs He’s Always Thinking About You
He Calls Out of The Blue
You were not expecting to hear from him. He had to work or had other plans but here he is calling you while he is out with his guy pals.
You are on his mind and he can’t stop thinking about you. The remedy is to see you or hear your voice. Something to make him feel closer to you in the moment.
He’s Texting A Lot
Maybe your guy is away at school or on a business trip, or maybe just in the other room, wherever he is at, he is thinking about you and just wants to connect. So he texts.
He may send texts here or there or long chains of loving words and just small talk. It doesn’t matter what you two talk about, he just wants you on the other end of his texts. He is missing you and needs his fix.
He’s On Your Social Media
When he is thinking of you and missing you he may be glued to your social media when you two are apart. He may send you cute little messages and memes, and he will always be the first to like a new pic or comment of yours.
You may also find that he tends to go through your old post and like pics from the past too.
He Admits It
His intent may not be to say you’re always on his mind but when he tells how something reminded him of you when he was out and about or says he thought about you because a song came on the radio is all telling enough. He is saying you are always there, on his mind.
Or he may just be willing to be vulnerable and romantic and tell you how much he misses you when apart and how much you are on his mind.
He’s Buying Thoughtful Or Random Gifts
Gifts are always nice and appreciated but you were not expecting anything from your guy. But when he saw the candle, or necklace, or a cute little stuffed animal he couldn’t help but think of you so he bought it.
The fact that he is not declaring his undying love for you does not mean he is not falling for you or already in love. Signs are always there when it comes to how a man really feels, good or bad. Not every thought or feeling needs to be said, and the fact that they are not being said does not make a budding romance or love any less real.
Of course, as a relationship progresses there should be no guessing games. But in the early stages, it’s nice the be able to recognize the signs that he’s always thinking about you, which means he has developed feelings for you.
What are your thoughts on the signs he’s always thinking about you? Do you agree with the signs? Do you patiently wait for him to confess his real feelings? Please share your thoughts and experience!
“Thinking of You is easy – I do it every day. Missing you is the heartache, that never goes away.” – Michael Pryce