How to Use Humor to Improve Your relationships: "How to Use Humor to
Improve Your Relationships
Laughter is the surest sign of a healthy bond
by Mike Moore M.ed
Humor has long been considered one of the most effective tools to judge the quality of any relationship.
If there is laughter present you can assume that the relationship is a healthy one. When the laughter ceases you can be quite certain that the relationship is on the down slide. This laughter barometer can be applied to any relationship at home, at work and at play."
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Is your partner marriage material?: "
Is your partner marriage material?
You've met Mr Right, you're pretty sure he's the one, but how can you be certain? Might your soul mate turn out to be a stalemate a few years down the line? find out if your partner is marriage material (remember: be honest)"
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Relationship Success Secrets - Playing is Healing - Prevent Divorce - Enjoy Living: "Couples and the Art of Playing
Three Easy and Enjoyable Ways to Nurture and Heal Relationships
by Keith Hackett
Check out my new website with additional resources for play, advice, counseling, and marriage help: PlayfulRelationships.com
Couples and the Art of Playing, the essential guide for creating healthy relationships.'Couples and the Art of Playing' is for anyone in a committed relationship - married, living together, engaged or dating' and is user-friendly for any sexual orientation, culture or belief system."
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What makes a Relationship Work? 3 Essentials for Building Successful Relationships: "
The 3 Essentials for Building
Successful Relationships
By Alicia Fortinberry, MS
Good relationships in all areas of our lives are essential to our physical and emotional health but we seem to have more trouble than ever achieving them.
My husband, psychologist Bob Murray, and I have mined the fields of neurobiology, movement physiology and psychology and emerged with a startling new approach and some very concrete and simple tools.
Just as ants make ant-hills, human beings are relationship-making creatures. We function better within a supportive relationship environment or community. Yet ever since we abandoned our hunter-gatherer ways we have drifted further from the ability to connect successfully with each other."
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Eight Ingredients for a lasting Relationship
Andrew N. Williams
Maintaining a good, wholesome relationship can be difficult. The question of how to best understand something as complex as human relationships has long occupied the minds of our greatest poets and philosophers and until now, this quandary has largely gone unanswered. However, like most deep questions, the answer can be described in a simple analogy -- psychology has now determined that the secret to forming a lasting relationship is like baking the perfect loaf of bread.
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Love and Sex: Eight ingredients for a lasting relationship: "Eight ingredients for a lasting relationship
Andrew N. Williams
Maintaining a good, wholesome relationship can be difficult. The question of how to best understand something as complex as human relationships has long occupied the minds of our greatest poets and philosophers and until now, this quandary has largely gone unanswered. However, like most deep questions, the answer can be described in a simple analogy -- psychology has now determined that the secret to forming a lasting relationship is like baking the perfect loaf of bread."
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Ten Reasons Not to Hit Your Kids - The Natural Child Project: "Ten Reasons Not to Hit Your Kids
by Jan Hunt, M.Sc.
In Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Italy, Israel, Germany and Austria, it is illegal for a parent, teacher, or anyone else to spank a child. In some states and provinces, it is only illegal for a teacher to spank. In all areas of North America, physical punishment by a parent, as long as it is not severe, is still seen by many as necessary discipline, and condoned, or sadly, even encouraged.
For the past several years, many psychiatrists, sociological researchers, and parents have recommended that we seriously consider banning the physical punishment of children. The most important reason, according to Dr. Peter Newell, coordinator of the organization End Punishment of Children (EPOCH)1, is that 'all people have the right to protection of their physical integrity, and children are people too.'2
1. Hitting children teaches them to become hitters themselves. Extensive research data is now available to support a direct correlation between corporal punishment in childhood and aggressive or violent behavior in the teenage and adult years. Virtually all of the most dangerous criminals were regularly threatened and punished in childhood. It is nature's plan that children learn attitudes and behaviors through observation and imitation of their pa"
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Managing Stress and Recovering from Trauma: Facts and Resources for Veterans and Families // National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: "Managing Stress and Recovering from Trauma: Facts and Resources for Families
A National Center for PTSD Fact Sheet
by Julian Ford, Ph.D., Executive Division, White River Junction
Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress
Have you ever:
* felt so tense, discouraged, or angry that you were afraid you just couldn't cope?
* had an extremely stressful experience that you try not to think about, but it still continues to bother you or is repeated in nightmares?
* felt constantly on guard or watchful, or been on edge or jumpy more than you really need to be?
* had a family member who seemed troubled in these ways?
If so, this information is for you."
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Worth being loved: "Worth being loved
They say good man is worth being loved. But than why do people all the time fall for wrong men and women? Moral qualities of a person of cause mean a lot but when we love one we usually can’t define and give a name to that something special in that person that makes us feel this way. Love is an irrational feeling, we can never predict who will be the next and moreover say if her or she will be finally worth it. Everything would be very nice and simple if we could count all the minuses and the pluses than compare the results and in case there are more minuses say “no, I’m not interested”. We all like and in the end love the people who differ, who are personalities, who have that sparkle in them. And it’s sad but good people are sometimes very dull and boring in communication exactly because they do everything right, they never cross any lines."
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Are you in love?: "Are you in love?
Usually if you ask yourself “am I in love?’ it means you’re not, because when you’re fallen in love you already have no questions, this feeling is to obvious to leave any doubts. So it’s more reasonable to count the consequences of it than to look for the signs."
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Men and women: just friends?: "Men and women: just friends?
Have you ever been in such kind of relationships? Have you got just a friend of the opposite sex? And even if you haven't had such experience…why?...Let's think about it: 'Is it possible for men and women to be just friends without being romantic?'"
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Relationship compatibility: "Relationship compatibility
Many people erroneously believe that 'opposites attract', and seek a partner with interests opposite to their own under the illusion that this is a good way to form an enduring bond. Partners, who get caught in this lie, often suffer painful consequences. While it is true that opposites do attract sometimes, this attraction usually doesn't hold up to the reality of everyday life and commitment."
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How to protect your child from abuse Vibrant Life - Find Articles: "How to protect your child from abuse
Vibrant Life, Sept-Oct, 1997 by Gary Hopkins
It seems as though we hear a lot about child abuse from friends, on the television, and in the newspapers. You know, 'Did you hear about so-and-so? He got arrested for molesting a little girl.' Or maybe a little boy."
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Disability Lifestyles, CONROD - Dealing with change: "Dealing with change
Because nothing in life stays the same, chances are you are going to have to deal with change in your relationships too."
RELATE: Essential ingredients for a long term and satisfying relationship: "
Essential ingredients for a long term and satisfying relationship
* Good problem solving, negotiating and coping skills.
* Trust in each other (including being faithful, behaving with integrity and feeling safe).
* Commitment to the relationship.
* Open, honest and good communication.
* Enjoy spending time together, have fun together, laugh together – yet appreciate some space for separate activities.
* Shared interests and activities – similar views on what is important in life.
* Consideration, mutual appreciation– easy give and take.
* Deep and abiding love for one another, enriched by being friends and lovers, continue to find each other attractive, appealing, desirable and interesting.
Taken from information sheet “Essential ingredients for long term satisfying relationships” – Relationships Australia"
Products from Conception to Parenting: "Synopsis: Making Love & Babies by Dr Judy Ford
Sex is a basic and pleasurable activity that naturally leads to conception. Why is it then that infertile couples have infrequent sex when they desperately want to conceive their own child?
Making Love and Babies explores the history of declining fertility: the pill, abortions, changes in lifestyle and changes in the nature of relationships. It explains why many couples now have infrequent sex and it offers them practical solutions."
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Welcome to RelateBetter.com - the relationship assessment people: "
Good relationships are good for you. People in supportive, loving relationships are more likely to feel healthier, happier and satisfied with their lives and less likely to have mental or physical health problems. Most people want to have a stable long-term relationship but the statistics show that it is difficult to achieve. One in three first marriages ends in divorce as do two in three second marriages. Recovery from a marital/relationship breakdown is usually slow."
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IAV|Does Divorce Make People Happy?: "Does Divorce Make People Happy?
Findings from a Study of Unhappy Marriages
Call it the 'divorce assumption.' Most people assume that a person stuck in a bad marriage has two choices: stay married and miserable or get a divorce and become happier.1 But now come the findings from the first scholarly study ever to test that assumption, and these findings challenge conventional wisdom. Conducted by a team of leading family scholars headed by University of Chicago sociologist Linda Waite, the study found no evidence that unhappily married adults who divorced were typically any happier than unhappily married people who stayed married. "
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BBC - Relationships - Couples - 70 romantic ways to have fun: "
70 romantic ways to have fun
In our busy lives, time can often seem in short supply so it's important that couples make the most of their time together. If you're stuck for ideas, Relationship psychotherapist Paula Hall has some suggestions.
In this article
On rainy days
On sunny days
At the weekend
When the children are in bed
For an evening out
When you've only got an hour to spare
Romantic gestures
On rainy days
1. Clear out the garage, attic, cupboards or wardrobes* - it really doesn't matter as long as you do it together.
2. Go charity shopping. While away the hours browsing for books, CDs, games, retro clothing, bric-a-brac. You could try a carboot sale or trawl round some antique shops."
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Emotional Intimacy, by Coleen L.: "Emotional Intimacy - by Coleen L.
Emotional intimacy is not the same as sexual intimacy. Sexual intimacy can take place with or without emotional intimacy, and emotional intimacy often does not occur within any kind of sexual context. "
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Three Simple Strategies for Rekindling the Romance in Your Relationship: "
Three Simple Strategies for Rekindling the Romance in Your Relationship
by Rachel G. Baldino for www.SixWise.com
These days it seems that we are busier than ever. We seem to be in a constant state of motion, always racing off to work, or zipping out to run errands, or to take the kids to their various activities."
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Relationship Skills Quiz: "Relationship Skills Quiz
Healthy communication fosters connection, trust, intimacy, and respect. It is all about knowing and being known. It is not about getting people to do what we want. It’s about mutually beneficial solutions. It is not about controlling what we feel. It is about feeling what we feel, and sharing what we feel and think in the present moment. This sort of openhearted sharing is “relating.” Which would you say? Which wouldn’t you say? Choose how likely you are to make each of these statements."
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Relationships: Exploring Intimacy in Relationships: "EXPLORING INTIMACY IN RELATIONSHIPS
by Phil Rich, Ed.D., MSW
Defining intimacy is no straightforward task. Its meaning varies from relationship to relationship, and within relationships over time. In some relationships, intimacy is entwined with sex and feelings of closeness may be connected or confused with sexual feelings. In other relationships, intimacy has more to do with shared moments than sexual interactions. In any case, intimacy is linked with feelings of closeness among partners in a relationship. But, even without a specific definition, it seems clear that intimacy and healthy relationships go hand in hand. Indeed, intimacy is a basic ingredient in any meaningful relationship."
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Romance and Relationships: "
WEB EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES
National Survey Gets at the Heart of the Matter
on Romance and Relationships
Could 127 million American women be wrong? Despite what men and women think they know about each other, a new survey reveals the two genders don't know each other as well as they think. In fact, according to this survey of the opposite sexes about their perceptions of men's behavior, men may deserve more credit than women give them."
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Insight, Skills, Practice, Support – Our Marriage Education and Relationship Coaching Program: "Our Relationship Success Recipe
It's easy to dream about success – about repairing your marriage, about doing better at this relationship than you did at others, about learning the skills that you know you need. It's something else to realize your dreams."
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Become Best Friends with Your Spouse - Associated Content:
By Blessed@Home CLOUT INDEX
Aren’t best friends great? You laugh together, cry together, and just enjoy one another’s company. Does this describe your relationship with your spouse? If not, it can. Friendship greatly contributes to the success of a marriage. It won’t happen overnight but the following tips will help you achieve a best friend connection with your partner.
1. View your spouse as your equal. Marriage is a partnership. What a relief to know that you don’t have to micromanage your spouse or constantly tell him what to do. You would"
Infidelity: Mending your marriage after an affair - MayoClinic.com: "Infidelity: Mending your marriage after an affair
Infidelity causes intense emotional pain — anger, disbelief, fear, guilt, shame. But an affair doesn't have to mean the end of your marriage. Work hard to understand and rebuild.
When an affair is first discovered, both partners feel as if the world has collapsed — you're left wondering whether your marriage can survive.
Few marital problems cause as much heartache and devastation as infidelity. Only physical abuse is more damaging to a marriage. Money worries, disagreements about children or a serious illness can strain a relationship. But because of the deep sense of betrayal, infidelity undermines the foundation of marriage itself. An affair is far more likely to lead to divorce than is any other issue."
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The Trauma of Rape: "The Trauma of Rape
By Fran Driscoll
Fran Driscoll graduated from UW-Milwaukee in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts in Letters and Science. She is currently employed as an education assistant at Wisconsin Right to Life and is a volunteer in various local organizations.
RAPE. Excluding homicide, rape is the crime most devastating to its victims. Whether it be the parent of a daughter late in coming home or the lone woman leaving work at night, the fear of sexual assault is very real, very alive. Some would define it as the ultimate act of savagery against women. But, regardless of how it is defined, rape damages the physical, mental and social well-being of its victims. In addition to the trauma of the physical attack (assuming the victim survives), there is the very real threat of contracting AIDS, venereal disease, or other infection from the attacker. But in regard to long-term damage, mental harm usually presents the greatest problem. Psychological manifestations following rape are referred to as 'the rape trauma syndrome.'1"
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Your Emotional Well Being: "Your Emotional Well Being
By Mary Anne Winslow Platinum Quality A Report Article
Your emotional health and well being is the most important part of your health. If you wre not emotionally happy, it effects all different parts of your body and you cannot be healthy. Here are some tips to have a truly healthy lifestyle."
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Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse - Overview Paper: Fact Sheet, NCFV, Public Health Agency of Canada: "Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse - Overview Paper
What is Child Sexual Abuse?
Although there are many descriptions of childhood sexual abuse, for the purpose of this document it is considered to be the use of a child for any form of sexual activity or behaviour by an adult or adolescent. It is a betrayal of trust by someone
who has power over the child.1
Who is an Adult Survivor of Child Sexual Abuse?
Any adult who was sexually abused as a child is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. The majority of statistics in this document refer to the abuse of children under the age of 17. Sexual abuse occurs in all communities, ethnic backgrounds,
religions, cultures, and social and economic classes, and is experienced by both males and females.2,3"
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What is Anxiety? What causes Anxiety? What to do about it.: "What is Anxiety? What causes Anxiety? What to do about it.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety affects our whole being. It affects how we feel, how we behave and has very real physical symptoms.
It feels a bit like fear but whereas we know what we are frightened of, we often don’t know what we are anxious about.
Mild anxiety is vague and unsettling - severe anxiety can be extremely debilitating.
WHAT CAUSES ANXIETY?
Anxiety is often triggered by stress in our lives. Some of us are more vulnerable to anxiety than others, but even those who become anxious easily can learn to manage it well. We can also make ourselves anxious with “negative self-talk” – a habit of always telling ourselves the worst will happen. "
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Depression Treatment - Learn about Depression Treatment Methods like Alternatives, Medications and CBT: "Depression Treatment. Real Solutions.
Depression can cause distress in many different aspects of one's life including home, work and school. Research shows that of those who seek treatment for depression, approximately 80% find long term, effective results. The most popular methods of relieving depression related symptoms include:
* Prescription Medications
* Natural Alternatives and Medicines
* Cognitive Behavior Therapy based programs"
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Effects of Traumatic Experiences // National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: "Effects of Traumatic Experiences
by Eve B. Carlson, Ph.D. and Josef Ruzek, Ph.D.
When people find themselves suddenly in danger, sometimes they are overcome with feelings of fear, helplessness, or horror. These events are called traumatic experiences. Some common traumatic experiences include being physically attacked, being in a serious accident, being in combat, being sexually assaulted, and being in a fire or a disaster like a hurricane or a tornado. After traumatic experiences, people may have problems that they didn't have before the event. If these problems are severe and the survivor does not get help for them, they can begin to cause problems in the survivor's family. This fact sheet explains how traumas can affect those who experience them. This fact sheet also describes family members' reactions to the traumatic event and to the trauma survivor's symptoms and behaviors. Finally, suggestions are made about what a survivor and his or her family can do to get help for PTSD."
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FOXNews.com - Violence Against Women a Global Problem - Health News | Current Health News | Medical News: "Violence Against Women a Global Problem
By Daniel J. DeNoon
In most of the world, 29 percent to 62 percent of women have suffered physical or sexual violence at the hands of an intimate partner. More often than not, the violence is severe. For half of these women, the abuse continues.
The appalling numbers come from a remarkable study led by World Health Organization researchers Claudia Garcia-Moreno, MD; Henrica A.F.M. Jansen, PhD; and colleagues. The researchers trained a small army of more than 500 female interviewers who met with more than 24,000 15-to 49-year-old women at 15 sites in 10 countries.
The women, randomly selected to represent the region in which they lived, spoke privately with the interviewers. The interviewers were armed with fake questionnaires in case a husband burst into the room. Sometimes they held decoy interviews with male household members to keep them busy while they spoke with the women.
'One of the very striking things we found during the study was that 20 percent to 60 percent of the women mentioned they had never talked with anybody else about this before,' Jansen tells WebMD. 'A woman in Peru said being interviewed made her feel herself to be a ves"
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Getting Past The Arguments: Resolving Conflict In Relationships: "Getting Past The Arguments: Resolving Conflict In Relationships
One of the hardest things to handle in a relationship is conflict. While a good and fair fight can clear the air and help you to feel closer to your lover, many fights are just hurtful and destructive. Fights that never go anywhere, that are repeated year after year, or that leave you feeling awful about yourself are not going to help your relationship. Those are the kinds of fights we need to take another look at, and find out what is going on underneath. This is true for any conflict that doesn't feel right, not just those you have with your lover."
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Old Baggage & New Relationships: "Identifying Your Old Baggage...
Those who have not done their personal homework regarding any leftover baggage from previous failed relationships are self-condemned to repeat one loss after another. One would think that their still being single after many years might indicate a need for an inner change. However, there are those who refuse to make those changes. Rather, they continue to superimpose their perceptions of what constitutes shortcomings in those who have been discarded on to others who come into their lives. It's a lose-lose situation and, until they decide to finally get rid of their old baggage, they will continue to disappoint new loves who are truly good people.
Some of the more common montras oft repreated by those who have determined to wallow in their self-imposed singleness include...
* I can't find anyone whom I can trust.
* Everyone lies to me.
* I've never done anything wrong to these people.
* I don't need counseling.
* It was their faults--not mine.
* Everyone abuses me.
* Why is it so hard to find a nice person?
* How come no one cares about me?
* Everyone always ends up doing me wrong."
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Communication in relationships: "Communication in relationships
Difficulty in communication between men and women is a well-known fact, bringing up the reasons for the battle of sexes. Basing on experience of professional consultants, we have found out a very interesting, though an easy answer: Why men and women can’t do with each other in business and private life? The answer is - they are not able to communicate in proper way.
Couples break up their relationships (even long-term) easily just because they lack mutual understanding. Failure of keen and strong sexual desire means that love has died as well.
Many couples would hardly like to discover the main plausible reason of misunderstandings and quarrels.
Common, but sometimes hidden problems and a good piece of advice are presented here for you to improve communication with the opposite sex.
All changes are for the better
Whether one believes in it or not, but all that he/she needs to make the relationships healthier is just to learn how to communicate. At first, one should find out what is the difference between sexes, and then try to learn so–called sore spots that we (purposely or non purposely) touch, hurting each other. Coping with these two points sometimes requires reconsidering the model of behavior in general for adult person."
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