Relationships

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…

A few years ago, I lived out the ultimate adventure: I explored Europe for three months and then taught English in Rwanda for five weeks. Every day brought a new and unfamiliar experience with it—I stood atop the beautiful Cliffs of Moher in Ireland; I gawked at the Eiffel tower…

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…

  Do you ever look at cheerful, loving couples and wonder what their secret is? Why are they so happy all of the time? How do they manage to keep that bond strong? And most importantly, can I foster that same loving relationship? Dr. Gilbert Chalepas says yes, indeed you…

This was a particularly unhealthy relationship, tainted by jealousy and many other issues. While the relationship certainly did not last for much longer, we did manage to recognize and work through his feelings of jealousy together. That’s not to say it is an easy process, but it is doable—especially when…

My last boyfriend and I should have called it quits years earlier—but we just didn’t know what a healthy relationship looked like. The two of us had a whole lot of love for each other, and we believed that was enough. We thought that the jealousy, codependency, infidelity, and endless…

New research from the University of British Columbia reveals why it’s a woman’s instinct to wear her boyfriend’s hoodie or snuggle up in his armchair when he’s away: it helps them feel calmer. According to this study “Olfactory cues from romantic partners and strangers influence women’s responses to stress,” the…

Just this past weekend, I was playing the classic game of “Would You Rather” with a few close friends when an ever-popular question was proposed: would you rather have a low-paying job that you love or a high-paying job that you hate? Some of us declared our answers immediately, while…

Music is an incredible force of nature. It has the power to relieve us of stress, boost our mood, and calm us down when we need it most. Furthermore, it is the backbone of an effective form of therapy: simply called music therapy. Music therapy is an established health profession,…

Perhaps the most stressful part of the holidays: brainstorming gifts for your loved ones. You pester them for weeks about what they want, but they fail to give you any good ideas; instead, they insist they don’t need a thing. Which you match with an eye roll and a sigh,…

When asked to picture a happy life, many don’t only envision themselves but a partner standing next to them, hands intertwined. Many of us hope to one day find that other half, that person that somehow makes sense of everything, the one that brings everything together. And if we’re lucky,…

I know a decent amount of people who would pay a pretty penny for some solid relationship advice—they’re dying for a formula that would solve all their problems and explain how happy couples are, well, so happy. Unfortunately, I can’t provide this formula… nor do I believe it exists. But…