Communication

Relationship experts recommend being honest, kind, and direct in the delivery of a breakup. They say to use “I” statements, be considerate of the other individual’s feelings, and most importantly, make your reasoning crystal clear. But that’s not usually how a breakup unfolds, is it? Instead, we use cliché breakup…

Breakups suck. I don’t care if you’re the dumper or the dumpee—regardless, you’re in a sucky position. However, there is one key difference between the two: as the dumper, you decide how this breakup unfolds. Or at least how this breakup begins to unfold. While there is no textbook equation…

Any time I’m left alone in a public space, I dig my phone out of my pocket and act like I have important business to attend to. This is never truly the case. I’m just so awkward and so nervous around strangers that I must engage in an imaginary conversation…

Do you have a tested and true strategy for getting your way? Say you’re in a heated discussion with your boyfriend or you’re talking a possible raise with your boss. In any regard, someone is going to come up with the short stick. And you want to do what you…

You’re heading to the car dealership, ready to purchase a 2012 Toyota Highlander. You know that this car is reliable, in your price range, and a great fit for your family. This is exactly what you tell the car salesman who greets you at the doors and asks what he…

Breakups are rarely easy: you’ve spent valuable time together and gotten to know each other at a deeper level than most. But that doesn’t mean you should or could make the relationship work. If you’ve decided that it’s time to go separate ways, it’s important you communicate that to your…

I used to be really good at not talking about my feelings. I kept everything bottled up until I near exploded. Why? Well, if I opened up about my feelings then they became real; and, more importantly, I didn’t like to burden anyone else with my feelings. Fortunately, I’ve since…

I hate confrontation: I do everything in my power to avoid it, even if that means surrendering my argument or swallowing my feelings. This is okay to do every now and then, such as when you’re bickering with your roommate about who did the dishes last, but it’s taboo for…

Every couple faces adversity—whether its infidelity, jealousy, insecurity, abuse, a combination of the four, or something different entirely. In any given case, what’s most important is not the difficulty at hand, but how one addresses and solves that issue. I learned this firsthand in a particularly challenging relationship a few…

Our primary form of communication is verbal communication. However, we speak just as often through nonverbal communication or body language. The way we sink into our chairs, cross our arms, and look down at the ground all communicate negative feelings—those of deflation, unease, and discomfort. Now, we can also communicate…

So I am in the very stressful, annoying process of moving. My garage is filled with boxes and crates aplenty, my room stripped down to nothing but my mattress, and my mind is bursting at the seams with all that I still have to get done. My dad, being the…

I practically came out of the womb breaking hearts. No, not in a cocky, I’m-so-awesome-and-beautiful way. My breakups actually just always go horribly wrong. I somehow approach the situation every time in the worst possible way, and the poor guy either ends up confused or a mess of emotions. I’m…