by Tina Tessina

Learning to be patient and remain calm reduces and relieves stress and worry. Cultivating patience is really learning impulse control– it’s an issue in self control. You can learn how to do “emotional maintenance” and shake off stress, keep on track of what you want to do, and let go of frustration when something is getting to you.  Patience is learning how to wait until you’ve thought before acting and made sure you understand the options and take control of your own ideas and decisions.  It’s a growth process, a transformation of self through awareness and learning.
To acquire patience, learn not to act on impulse, but change your thinking and attitude, and reach out for support and encouragement.  To learn the necessary patience and determination that enhances your communication, these seven steps will help.

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by Elizabeth Spannuth

My step-dad has always been a bit loopy. When I was growing up he was moody and prone to episodes of what I now recognize as depression. Strangely, as he has aged, he has fallen out of that pattern. Sometimes it seems as though he is a completely different person, so much so that occasionally I find myself asking “who is this supportive and positive person?”

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by Dr. Tammy Nelson

Is it normal to find sex online?  In our current technological culture we use cyber connections to create all of our relationships.  We use the internet to manage our social lives, meet new people, and develop both emotional partnerships.  Why wouldn’t we find sexual relationships online too?

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by Tinamarie Bernard

When I read a recent blog by Nicole Daedone, founder of OneTaste.com, I had two immediate questions: Are that many women really putting on moan shows when they are having sex, and if so, why?

Here’s what Nicole had to say about faking orgasmic pleasure, which basically, “amounts to lying to your partner. It prioritizes thinking (I should be doing this, I wonder how he’s feeling, etc.) over feeling.” She then goes on to explain the top five reason women do it, including:

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by Tina Tessina

1. You can repeat some of the things you did when you were first dating: go back to the first place you met, watch a DVD (complete with popcorn) of the first movie you saw together, go out for lunch at the little café near your old job, or wander through the park.

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by Anastasia Strgar

At the dawn of my 23rd year I find myself on a whole new life track. This does not have anything to do with going on a crazy cross country adventure or skydiving over the Grand Canyon or anything like that (although that’d be awesome); it rather, has more to do with finally freeing myself from old negative thinking patterns about life and even more so, myself.

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by Anastasia Strgar

Without tooting my own horn, I’d say I consider myself a kind person. I’m actually more likely to put others before myself, but lately, I’ve been working on putting myself first. Mysteriously, I’ve discovered that when I start being nicer to myself, I am better able to recognize the kindness coming at me from all directions… Not only that, but I’m more likely to look at the guy on the side of the street with a cardboard sign with compassion, rather than criticism.

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by Kristin Neff

The golden rule tells us that we should treat others as we would want them to treat us. Maybe so, but hopefully we won’t treat them even half as badly as we treat ourselves.

“You’re so lame!”

“What a screw-up!”

“How can you ever show your face in public again!”

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by Elizabeth Spannuth

I took advantage of Borders’ going-out-of-business sale and picked up the book, Us: Americans Talk About Love. It is a compilation of interviews with Americans from all walks of life covering the topics of relationships and love. There were no limits on the ages of the participants or how long that they had been in a relationship. The broad perspectives are a mix of entertaining, horrifying, and inspirational.

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I’ve been keeping a journal for the last few months in which I write a short reflection about my day and what I’ve learned and then list things I’m grateful for. It’s a way to keep me authentic and thinking about my daily experience. At times when I’m in a dark place I merely look through the journal and read about how far I’ve come in my personal growth quest. Last night, however, I tried something completely different- I devoted my whole 2 page entry to listing everything I could think of about me that’s so awesome.

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