FOR THE GUYS, SEX & LIFE

You’re At A Crossroads: Which Way Should You Go? Tips For Couples Going Through Tough Times

You’re At A Crossroads: Which Way Should You Go? Tips For Couples Going Through Tough Times

It’s normal for couples to hit bumps in the road from time to time. No couple in the world has a perfect relationship. Even people who seem like they’re madly in love might have days when they argue like cat and dog. Sometimes, you come to point when you have to make a decision. If things haven’t been right for a while, or something has happened that has changed the dynamics of the relationship, you have to decide whether to try and find solutions for problems, or go your separate ways. If you’re going through a tough time, these tips may come in handy.

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Identify the problems and talk about them

Have you been arguing for a while or do you not spend much time together anymore? Try and work out why things have changed or what has happened to make you feel uncomfortable. If you can identify the problems, it’s much easier to find solutions. Do you need to make an effort to spend more time together? Why not plan a couples massage or at home with some oils and a heat pad for back? Has one of you been neglecting the other or have you fallen down each other’s list of priorities? Have you been seeing somebody else or have you been thinking about what it would be like to be single again? If you’ve got things on your mind, be honest, and talk to your partner. It’s best that they know what’s going through your head.

Make time to chat about how you feel. Don’t just mention something in passing, and then go about your daily business. It’s important to communicate properly. You may find that talking and being frank gives you more clarity. Perhaps, you can work things out or maybe you might decide that there’s no way forward.

Seeking help

Relationship troubles aren’t always caused by problems between two people. Often, issues that affect one person have a knock-on effect. You may find that your partner can’t give their all to you if they’ve lost their job or they’re suffering from an illness, for example. If you’re dealing with external issues, don’t be afraid to seek help. Healing yourself can often have benefits for your relationship.

If you’re having troubles in your relationship, it may also be worth seeing a therapist with expertise in helping couples. If you’re keen to find out more about couple’s therapy, you’ll find pages like https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201203/5-principles-effective-couples-therapy helpful.

Being realistic

Sometimes, in life, it’s beneficial to admit that things aren’t working and to adopt a pragmatic approach. Splitting up may be a horrible prospect, but if you’ve tried everything, it may be the best thing to do. If you’re married, it’s wise to be prepared for difficult times ahead. It’s not as easy as going in different directions and not seeing each other. A divorce has repercussions for both parties, and you should seek expert help from a firm such as https://www.millerbowleslaw.com/. You may not want to think about the practicalities because it makes it seem very real. But the sooner you get your head around the processes and what’s going to happen, the better.

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Relationships are hard work. You have to compromise, and sometimes, you have to make sacrifices. Often, making changes and being open and honest can work. But sometimes, there’s no way forward. If you’re at a crossroads, hopefully, this guide will help you to make a decision.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.

FOR THE GUYS, SEX & LIFE

Picking Perfect Presents: Gifts For Your Artistic Friends

Picking Perfect Presents: Gifts For Your Artistic Friends

Although you obviously love all your friends, we all know people who we have less in common with than we do with others. You don’t have to love all the same things in order to be friends – maybe you have kids that are a similar age, or you both go to the same yoga class, or you’ve known each other since school, so you have such a long shared history that you’ve got plans to live together when you’re a hundred years old, with five cats and endless pots of tea. That doesn’t mean, however, that your friends are all easy to buy for. Artistic friends can be some of the hardest people of all to buy for – if you don’t share their passions then you might not understand what exactly they love, so you might be afraid to make a blunder. Here are some points that might help…

Take Them Out Somewhere

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If in doubt, it’s time to take them out to dinner. Spending time together is probably the number one reason that you’re friends with each other to begin with. Look up new good restaurants in your area, and book a table on a night that you’re sure they can make it. If they’re a single parent, you could even organize and pay for babysitting for them so they can really relax and have a great time and so that you can spend a perfect evening reconnecting with each other.

Buy Them Books

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If you know what your friend is interested in – Chekhov plays, for example – then why not buy them a book about them? Go to a big bookstore and talk to whoever works there for some recommendations. In good bookstores, the booksellers will be able to recommend new titles to you – and even if not, or if you feel too shy to talk to them, then you’ll probably find something interesting while you’re browsing, in the area that your friend is interested in.

Less Is More

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Remember that simplicity is often key to a good gift. The more aspects there are to it, the more chances there are that your recipient might not like it. Don’t bother with motivational quotes or slogans, or jewelry that’s full of different parts. Leave out the gimmicks and clichés and go for clean lines and good quality materials. If your friend loves writing, then get them a plain leather bound notebook. They’ll appreciate the beauty of it and the thoughtfulness of a beautiful gift much more than they’d appreciate a notebook with a ‘witty’ slogan on the front of it. If you want to go personal, try a framed photograph of the two of you or perhaps some letter art.

Share Your Interests With Them

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If your friend loves the arts, then chances are they’re a pretty interesting and enquiring person who’s open to new ideas and experiences. If they love going to art galleries then why not share your love of the ballet with them and take them to see a production of Swan Lake? If you can find beauty in one form of art, you can probably find it in others too, and they’ll be interested in learning something new.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.

SEX & LIFE

Common Problems in Marriage and How You Can Deal With Them

Common Problems in Marriage and How You Can Deal With Them

It is very rare that any couple doesn’t run into some problems at some point in their relationship. It is natural that there are some disagreements on things or one person putting in a little more in the relationship at times than the other. But if you know yourself and each other well, and you can identify the problems quickly, then the chances of you dealing with them promptly is much higher.

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A lot of the time people say that marriage needs to be 100% and 100%. But there are times when one person will only be giving 80%. There might be health issues or struggles at work. The key thing for the person still giving 100% is to not get bitter or resentful about it. There are times and seasons when it comes to relationships. If you can’t help each other, then it could be time to call a divorce lawyer. But if you want to work through it, then there are options for you. Here are some things to consider.

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Improve Communication

A lot of problems in a marriage can come from poor communication. It might be from exhaustion that when you come home from work you don’t communicate well. You might take your day out on your spouse or even keep things from them when you are feeling resentful towards them. It is also important to communicate properly without one of you scrolling on your phone, for example. If you want to improve the communication, then how about doing so in a public place. You are much more likely to sort something out in public, without raising your voices. You could also have an agreement that you have a set time for talking. You can just carried away in the busyness of everyday life otherwise.

Intimacy

A lot of problems in a relationship can come down to intimacy. You might both have separate expectations so can get frustrated when it doesn’t happen. Some of this can come down to communication. You need to be able to feel comfortable to talk to each other about this kind of thing. But one thing that you can do is make plans. To start with it might not seem very romantic. But if you agree on days of the week that you will be intimate, you can both plan for it. There can be no excuses of just wanted to go to sleep as it was an agreement that you have had. You just need to be open and honest with each other.

Money

Money can be a big problem in marriages. It can be escalated when one partner isn’t working due to raising children, for example. So one of the best things to do is to have joint accounts. If the finances are shared and open, then it makes it easier to talk about budget and overspending. It all boils down to communication really, though. You need to talk to each other about what you expect money to be spent on and what you expect money to be saved on.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.

BEAUTY, SEX & LIFE

Get The Glow: How To Make Yourself Feel Good This Year

Get The Glow: How To Make Yourself Feel Good This Year

When you feel good about yourself, it shows in every aspect of your life. You are more likely to take care of yourself and eat well when you are happy with who you are. You are more likely to be healthy when you feel good about yourself, as you’ll take the time to exercise and are generally more positive than those with lower self-esteem. Don’t get me wrong; you don’t have to be overly confident and the loudest person in the room to be happy with who you are. But if you have a goal this year to love yourself more and take more time for yourself, then it can help you to feel good. Here are some things that you could do to help yourself feel good.

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Laugh

It can be hard work to be negative a lot of the time. It can get you in a bit of a depressed cycle, and it can be hard to get out of. But one thing that you can do to improve how you feel is to laugh. Look on the lighter side of life and don’t take things too seriously. It is a great way to destress and relax, which can help your general health no end. Laughing burns calories too, so I’m not sure if there is anything much better than that!

Take Time For Yourself

If you are in a bit of a rut with life, then it can be detrimental to how you feel about yourself. But this year is the year to make changes. Take some time out to do something for you and only you. It might be tricky if you are a parent, for example, so it is a good idea to schedule it in. It might just be that you take a relaxing bath. It might be to exercise or go for a run. It might be a hobby like crafts or sewing. It might even be focusing on mental health. But whatever it is, make sure that it does become a priority.

Make Physical Changes

Quite often we feel down on ourselves because of the way we look. But you know what? You are only going to feel worse about yourself if things stay as they are. It could be time to shift those pounds that you’ve wanted to for a while. It could be time to change your hair color or get a haircut. It might be time to do something a little more drastic like cosmetic dentistry or surgery. Just make sure that you are doing it for the right reasons.

Eat Better

We have all heard that old saying that you are what you eat. So if you eat crappy foods, you’re going to feel kind of crappy. So if your diet needs a bit of a shake up, then it is time to make some changes. Make sure that you are getting plenty of vitamins and minerals on your plate. Fill your plate with color instead of lots of beige and brown. Drink plenty of water too, and you will feel so much better for it.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.

SEX & LIFE

8 Ways to Keep the Kids Busy on a Long Car Ride

By Guest Blogger Adam F.

8 Ways to Keep the Kids Busy on a Long Car Ride

Mom… Dad… Are we there yet?

1-driveThat’s the question every parent who steps into a vehicles with a young child should be prepared to hear ad nauseam. But with a little preparation ahead, you should be able to keep your kids occupied, and happy and of course, quiet in the back seat of your car.

How to Keep the Kids Busy?

1.     Bring Reading Materials

Wherever you go, you should always pack a good number of reading materials for you and your children. Magazines, picture books and comics are all great options, but you should also consider hitting up sites like Audible and downloading a couple of audio books for your kids.

2.     Prepare a Kid-Friendly Playlist

You could always bring a music player loaded with a playlist filled with your children’s favorite music. However, if you want to have a wide variety of songs in your car, it would be smarter to load up a few, customized playlists on your Spotify account (or any other service you might be using).

3.     Pack a Kit

Letting your kids play and build different things with toys like LEGO is always an awesome, fun way to keep them busy, no matter where you are. While this may sound like a challenge during a long road trip, you could easily create a portable LEGO kit by putting all of the bricks in a small lunch box, for example.

4.     Scavenger Hunt Sheets

Some items you’re bound to see on any road in America, Europe or Asia, so it would be a good idea to print out some scavenger hunt sheets filled with some of those items. This will create a great game for the whole family, and if you have a young child, still unable to read, make sure to print out sheets with pictures.

2-drive5.     Play Car Games

In addition to scavenger hunts, the license plate game and the ever-classic I Spy, our could always play the simple, but fun ABC game, where you search for different items outside of the car in alphabetical order. This will engage every single member of your family, and help you pass the time.

6.     Family Friendly Movies

If you have TV screens in your car, be sure to bring a few family-friendly movies or some educational show along for the ride. Of course, if you don’t have any screens in your vehicle, you can always use a laptop, tablet or simply your phone. But if you plan on streaming their movies, make sure that you’re using a secure Express VPN to protect your private data, before you connect to a public network.

7.     Give Your Kid an Old Camera

Even though you might not be aware of it, but there are still disposable cameras out there. And while your kids are still learning how to handle a smartphone (and take pictures naturally), you should give them a disposable cam they can share. And once they start snapping photos, they’ll surely have fan throughout the trip.

8.     Buy Enough Snack and Drinks

If you’ve gone through all the above activities, your only option is to take out a few snacks and make sure that everyone has something to munch on. If you’re planning on bringing some cool items, such as sodas and ice cream, you should bring a portable cooler, filled with ice.

Ensuring Your Security

But this isn’t all about your patience and sanity, as a matter of fact, the more you’re distracted, the more unsafe you are. Because if you spend a lot of time solving fights and getting into shouting matches with your children, you’ll eventually stop paying attention to the road.

3-driveRecent studies have shown that a huge number of car accidents are associated with distracted parents. As Car Junky reports, around 25% of car crashes happen when a distracted parent is dealing with his kids in the back seat.  So in order to make sure that this doesn’t ever happen to you, you have to ensure that your kids are completely satisfied throughout the trip.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram.

Adam, a reasonably successful web development has been publishing articles onwefollowtech.com for the last couple of years. When he is not hard at work you can find him on the basketball court or at the nearest Chinese restaurant, eating his favorite Chow Mein and reading fortune cookies.

 

Everyday Tips from Tia