Introvert Dating 101: Your Road to Forever

Dating is does not come easy for everyone. But it is especially challenging for introverts who have limited social energy.

According to experts, here are some of the best advice that they can give to introverts who want to find someone.

Be open to small talk

Introverts are not a fan of small talk. They'd rather go straight to the point. Small talk does not aim to contain all of life's meaning. It does not aim to go deep. However, this is a good way to connect with another person. If you start a conversation deep, you may give out too much information and the conversation might be awkward.

When you go to a coffee shop, don't plug your headphones right away. Try to project the aura that you are approachable. Who knows, a random conversation may end up with a date.

Try to party

Make an effort to attend gatherings. Not going to party invitations or sitting at the corner will not help you meet someone. While it is understandable that introverts aren't excited at big parties, make it a point to meet a few people and strike up some small talk.

Go online 

Introverts are better in writing than in conversation. You may join a forum or an online group that has the same interests as yours. The Internet can be an avenue to talk to others and connect.

Be yourself

Be comfortable in your own skin. Do not create a persona of who you want to be. Instead, be yourself. You can only keep up pretensions for a while, but you cannot do that forever.

If you don't put yourself out there, how will potential dates find out about your existence? So make an effort and meet others.

Friendship Tips: 5 Ways to Meet New People

Having close relationships does not happen at the snap of a finger. There are certain factors that come into play such as your compatibility, how you click during the first time you met, the same interests, and so many other things. Some friendships start out on the wrong foot but they end up as friends. Friends are called such because of the common things that you share. So where can you find friends?

Volunteer for your favorite cause

Volunteering can be a good way to help others and meet new people as well. When you volunteer, you can develop your social skills and have fun at the same time.

Join a New Club or Take a New Class

Your community has various clubs depending on your interest. All you have to do is look it up and find your favorite club. You can also do something new such as enrolling in a painting or cooking class. By doing these things, you are able to meet new people who share a common interest with you.

Be a friendly neighbor

Visit your neighbor and invite them for a drink or a meal. Some are not so keen in reaching out to their neighbors but if you can take the first step, it can be a start of a beautiful friendship.

Reconnect with old friends

Social media has brought us closer. We are able to meet new people even from the other side of the globe. We have reconnected with long-time friends and made new ones as well. Exert an effort to reach out to that high school or college classmate.

Every school has an alumni association. Update your contact information with the association and participate in alumni activities.

Check out local events

There may be a book reading night in your area or something that requires community participation. Check out those events and meet new friends. This is a good place for networking as well.

Reasons Why You Want to Make New Friends

Sometimes, your commitments to work, family and romantic relationships can make you lose touch with your friends. It could also be that sometimes, old friendships have faded through time or you may have drifted apart.

It’s great to meet new people especially if you are new in the area, or if you are a newbie at work. Going through crisis such as separation or death of a loved one is another reason that you may want to meet new people for a fresh start.

It does not matter how old you are. You do not have to be the life of the party in order make new friends. It is important that you realize there are also people who may feel awkward in making new friends. By being willing to accept changes, you can meet interesting people and create a friendship that will last a lifetime.

Top 5 Reasons Why Being Single is More Fun

If you are feeling rather blue because almost all of your friends are paired up while you remain single, here are some reasons why being single is more fun.

Better Relationships with Family and Friends

When you are single, you tend to stay at home more or go out with your family. You get to talk to each other, share ideas, and bond. You will start to appreciate the little things among your family members.

Dating too much can have its toll on you. You will eventually get tired and you tend to value being with your friends more than finding the perfect man.

More “Me” Time

You do not have to check or update your status on social media. You do not have to check on anyone anymore. There is also no need to check your phone every now and then if there is something that you’ve missed. You do not have to wait for a call or text that does not come. You can concentrate on improving yourself and you do not have to answer to anyone but yourself.

Being alone is totally okay

You are content in being alone and prefer to be left alone at times. Today, every one seems to want to be in the company of someone else. By being used to going solo, you can be independent.

Free to Meet New People

Being single means that you get to meet and be friends with different kinds of people. It also means that you get to choose a partner and would not settle for just anyone.

Maturity

You know your worth and you know that you have to love yourself first before loving someone else. As you enjoy your being single, you grow to be a mature person emotionally.

12 Secrets to a Lasting Relationship

Some relationships last for a lifetime, while some relationships fail and go poof. Do you every wonder what the secrets in maintaining a long-lasting relationship are? How do couples stay together for years and not lose the love?

Here are 12 of the important factors that come into play – sugars, spice, and all things nice that make up a great and lasting relationship.

1. Don’t let your past affect you. Let go and move on. Don’t be bitter about your past. Learn from past mistakes but don’t live in the past .Cherish your new relationship and realize that the person is not the same as your ex.

2. There should be communication because it is extremely important in any relationship. Communication may not be easy especially if you need to talk about sensitive topics. Opening up to how you really feel especially during a fight is important. Some issues may be challenging but you have to talk it out nevertheless.

3. Constantly reaffirm your partner. This can help a lot in improving your relationship.

4. Everyone needs some time alone. A healthy relationship is one where you do not have to do everything together. Give each other room to grow. It is perfectly fine to do something with your friends that does not involve your partner being nearby.

5. Admit your faults instead of blaming your partner for it.

6. Laughter is the best medicine. Have some fun time and share a good laugh with your partner. Sometimes, in a fight, cracking a joke can help resolve things.

7. Honesty is a basic factor for a healthy relationship. Be open to your partner.

8. Learn to forgive. If you cannot make up, you are bound to break up sooner or later.

9. Trust is earned. Do not give your partner a reason to doubt you at any point in your relationship.

10. Just as couples need to be lovers, they also have to be the best of friends. When the passion fades away, it is the friendship that keeps people together.

11. You and your partner have imperfections. Learn to deal with these and be patient. Relationships end not because of the problems but because you are no longer willing to try to make it work.

12. Love and love some more. Love is the key. Love yourself and love your partner. Both of you are not perfect but you are perfect for each other. Do not build walls around. Instead, open up and love.

10 Effective Tips to Get Over Your Ex

Break-ups are among the most painful experiences that many of us have to undergo. The pain of losing someone whom you shared your love with and looked forward to a future with – gone. This can be a devastating feeling to many and each of us has to cope somehow in order to be able to move on.

Breaking up with your partner can bring back so many memories of past relationships that have failed, betrayals, and other sad memories in life. Healing takes time because you have to go through stages before you can accept everything that happened. The old adage “Time heals all wounds” is true.

Oftentimes, there are those who get stuck in with their ex that they are not able to move on. They blame themselves, they try to find out what went wrong and the “what-ifs” come crashing down heavily on them. They get anxious, they get depressed, they get false hopes of reconciliation.

To help you survive a break-up and avoid getting stuck with the thoughts of your ex, here are some ways that you can follow.

1. Allow yourself to grieve and let it all out

One of the effective tips to get over your ex is to grieve completely. The first few days of a break-up, you might want to let the whole world know that you are well and moving on. Let’s say that you have just ended a five-year relationship – it is fair enough that you let yourself grieve for a while. Putting on a false face that you have moved on is totally unbelievable. Don’t fool yourself. Call your friends and pour it all out.

Grieving varies from person to person. Some grieve by crying, writing, talking with friends, drinking, consulting a counselor, processing memories, and many more. No matter how you do it, always remember that you can always call on your friends and family to help you get through it.

2. Don’t blame yourself

It takes two to tango. When a relationship ends, both parties have a role to play. The blame does not solely fall on one party alone. Do not let yourself get stuck in a blame game. One of the effective tips to get over your ex is to learn what you can about what happened in your relationship and then move on.

3. Exercise your freedom

When you are single and back in the market, you have no one to tell you what to do. There is no one to tell where you are going or someone waiting for you until you get home. You are free. Exercising your new-found freedom is one of the effective tips to get over your ex. Hop on that plane with your friend and go someplace that you have never been. Stay out as late as you even if it is just hanging out with friends. Watch TV all day without hearing any complaints. Find joy in doing all the things that you are not able to do when you were still in a relationship.

4. Don’t Idealize your Ex

One of the effective tips to get over your ex is to stop idealizing your partner. Remember the bad times and the fights that you used to have. It can help you move on easier.

5. De-clutter

Remove all the memories of your ex and place them in a box. You can throw or burn them away but make sure that it is what you really want. Avoid getting your things back from your ex as well.

6. Stay Fit

Going for a workout or even just jogging in your neighborhood can be good for your hormones. Sweating out can trigger happy hormones that can prevent you from getting depressed.

7. Don’t contact your ex

This is a very important tip if you want to get over your ex. Do not attempt any contact with your ex to help you move on easily.

8. Closure

If you are going to break-up, put a period to it. Do not let loose strings of hope hang around. It is either you are done or you aren’t.

9. Pour your energy at work

Some people become lousy at their job when they are heartbroken. How about channeling the negative energy to work by working extra hard and doing a better job. This can be an effective method for many while it might not work for some. However, working hard will give you a boost in your ego and that added praise won’t hurt. Throw yourself at your job and you might just find yourself to be productive.

10. Hang out with friends

Have you been seeing less of your friends when you were in a relationship? It’s time to make it up to them. They’ll accept you back anyway. Aside from that, they are a great way to help you through your grieving process.

The Importance of Adult Play in a Relationship

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”
-George Bernard Shaw

When we stopped being kids and started being adults, things can get quite boring. Play is not just for the young ones but also for the young once. It can be a source of relaxation with your partner, co-workers, and friends. Adult play can bring about and fuel your creativity and imagination. It can also improve your problem-solving skills that is often needed at work. If you little ones at home – whether your own kids or your nephews, or simply just the kids of your friends, try playing with them and notice that your mood will improve and your stress levels will go down.

Introduction to Adult Play

Being adults, we are very much consumed with the need to earn more and commit to the obligations that we have. With that, we set aside the time for play and use it for work and other ways to make ends meet. Somewhere along the way, we have forgotten how it is to play and have pure fun even just for a day.

Give some time for adult play by going out with your partner or friends. Simply spend some time going to the beach or playing basketball, volleyball, and other sports that you like. Goof off, go crazy, and be fun. Allow yourself to play like a child.

Adult Play Advantages

We know that play is important for child development. This is also beneficial to adults. You are de-stressed, and you will feel lighter. If you have a pet, you can go play with your furry friend and even reap the benefits that come with it. Keep yourself away from electronics.

1. Stress reliever – play can release endorphins which are known to be the feel-good hormones in the body.

2. Improve cognitive abilities – having fun such as playing chess, puzzles, or board games can prevent memory loss and improve one’s brain functions.

3. Boost creativity – when you are engaged in adult play, you sometimes have a surge of inspiration and creativity.

4. Feel young at heart – adult play can help make you feel and look young.

Adult Play and Relationships

Play can help keep the relationship fresh and exciting. This can bring joy and strengthen the bond of your relationship with your significant other. By adding play and humor in your daily interaction with your loved ones, you can boost the relationships that you have. Some of the benefits of adult play are the following:

1. Improve social skills.
2. Fosters cooperation.
3. Can heal wounds.

Relationships can also be fixed by incorporating humor and play in the situation. This will bring people closer and foster a positive bond.

Top 3 Signs That You're an Insecure Partner

Being in a lasting relationship involves give and take and plenty of communication. Trusting one another is one major important thing in any long-lasting relationship. While there are times that jealousy can arise, this is normal. However, there are those who take jealousy to the next level and turn psychotic. Are you the insecure partner? If you answer yes to the things below, then you seriously need some working out in your security and confidence area.

1. Checking up on your partner is a requirement

It’s like you are a security checkpoint that you have to read the messages of your partner and see his or her call logs. This his something that a mother would do to her teenage son or daughter. There are times that you think the contact names are fake just so your partner does not get caught in whatever you suspect he is doing. You know you have gone overboard when you copy his or her contacts and check on them.

You also check on social media accounts and get notifications when someone sends a private message of some sorts.

2. Attendance

You have to just know where and what your partner is doing during intervals. When you don’t get a reply, you go all bananas and throw a fit. You sometimes have to double check if what your partner is reporting is actually true. You even go to their nights out for a surprise visit.

3. No friends of the opposite sex

Aside from your partner’s relatives, you are supposed to be the only outsider male / female in your partner’s life. When your partner looks at someone else to appreciate, you pick a fight.

Trust is essential in any lasting relationship. If you are not able to trust your partner, chances are you will end up splitting.