Home Blog Page 440

The Two Powerful Manipulation Techniques Narcissists Use To Get You Hooked

By
Riley Cooper

Those that have never been in a relationship with an emotional manipulator find it hard to understand how people stay in such a relationship for so long. If someone was mistreating you, they ask: “Why didn’t you just leave?”

For victims of emotional abuse, this can be a quite difficult question to answer. It’s hard for them to tell why they found it so difficult to leave their abusive partner. Why?

Because they weren’t aware that they became ‘addicted’ to their partner through two extremely powerful manipulation techniques – trauma bonding and intermittent reinforcement.

What Is Trauma Bonding?

Trauma bonding is a bond which forms when two individuals go through intense emotional experiences together.

In the case of exploitative relationships, this bond is strengthened as a result of the repetitive cycle of heightened intimacy, seduction, and danger. The victim is initially showered with attention, approval, and intense love. Then gradually they get manipulated, mistreated, and exploited.

The victim becomes attached to their abuser as both the source of comfort and terror in an effort to survive the troubled, confusing relationship. As a result of all this, the victim feels unswerving loyalty and attachment to their abuser, which to others may seem illogical and stupid.

Dr. Patrick J. Carnes, in his book The Betrayal Bond: Breaking Free of Exploitative Relationships, describes trauma bonding this way:

“Those standing outside see the obvious. All these relationships are about some insane loyalty or attachment. They share exploitation, fear, and danger. They also have elements of kindness, nobility, and righteousness. These are all people who stay involved or wish to stay involved with people who betray them. Emotional pain, severe consequences and even the prospect of death do not stop their caring or commitment.

“Clinicians call this traumatic bonding. This means that the victims have a certain dysfunctional attachment that occurs in the presence of danger, shame or exploitation. There often is seduction, deception or betrayal. There is always some form of danger or risk.”

The Importance of Intermittent Reinforcement in Trauma Bonding

In the context of exploitative relationships, intermittent reinforcement is a pattern of harsh treatment mixed in with periodic love-bombing.

The abuser showers the victim with attention, affection, flattering comments, and grandiose promises occasionally and erratically throughout the cycle of abuse. 

This manipulation technique causes the victim to unceasingly seek the approval of the abuser while accepting the crumbs of their intermittent positive treatment, in the hope that the abuser will go back to the sweet, honeymoon stage of their relationship. This is how the victim gets unknowingly hooked on their abuser.

Dr. Joseph M. Carver, in his article “Love and Stockholm Syndrome: The Mystery of Loving an Abuser,” writes:

“In threatening and survival situations, we look for evidence of hope – a small sign that the situation may improve. When an abuser/controller shows the victim some small kindness, even though it is to the abusers benefit as well, the victim interprets that small kindness as a positive trait of the captor…

“In relationships with abusers, a birthday card, a gift (usually provided after a period of abuse), or a special treat are interpreted as not only positive, but evidence that the abuser is not “all bad” and may at some time correct his/her behavior.

“Abusers and controllers are often given positive credit for not abusing their partner, when the partner would have normally been subjected to verbal or physical abuse in a certain situation.”

How Can You Tell If You’re Trauma Bonded To Your Partner?

1. You’re trauma bonded to your partner if you know that they’re manipulative, controlling, and abusive, and yet, you can’t seem to leave them.

You feel unable to detach from the relationship, you blame yourself for the turbulence in the relationship, and you let your partner define your self-esteem and self-worth.

2. You do everything in your power to please your partner, even though they hardly ever do the same for you.

3. You feel completely hooked on them and you can’t understand why this is so. You constantly “need” their approval and validation. And after they mistreat you, you rely on them for support.

4. You refuse to turn to outside support. You don’t talk about your relationship to your friends and family. You may even present your abuser as a caring, attentive, loving partner, in an effort to minimize their exploitative behavior.

5. You develop self-destructive habits to detach from the pain of the abuse.

6. Even when you attempt to let go of the abuser, you give in to their crocodile tears, false remorse, and empty promises that they’ll change. The abuse cycle may be apparent, but you cling to the false hope that your relationship will improve.

7. You change your personality, appearance, and/or behaviors in an effort to please the abuser, and this is something that they rarely do.

Chicago May Be the Best Place in America for a Cheap and Fun Date

By
Elizabeth Williams

Chicago, Illinois, population 2.7 million, is one of the most famous cities in the world. The birthplace of Robin Williams, Harrison Ford, Dwayne Wade, Michelle Obama, and Jennifer Hudson, the Windy City is home to the deep-dish pizza, The Loop, and a multitude of skyscrapers. With so much going on, one would have forgiven Chicago if it were to follow the ways of other major cities by pricing everything up, but instead, Chicago is a place where you can enjoy an enriching and entertaining experience without draining your bank account.

One of the reasons why Chicago is such a great place is because there are so many things to enjoy for cheap. In fact, it was found by Time that when it comes to income needed for a resident of one of America’s largest cities to achieve peak happiness, the people of Chicago need the joint-second-lowest amount – testament to how enriching the city is without the need to be a huge earner, which makes it perfect for dates.

If you need a low-cost, or even zero-cost, place to base your date around that is both interesting and fun, you should find some help here.

First off, getting on a great date

Let’s face it, being on a date with the right person can make any place fun. That said, finding the right person to take on a date can be one of the most difficult tasks known to humankind. Most people are open-minded and often accept the invitations of their friends, family, or workmates to get matched up with someone. Unfortunately, many of those people have also had to experience their friends, family, or workmates setting them up with someone who appears to have the personality of a wet carrot.

Sometimes it just doesn’t click, regardless of the date’s venue, but in the modern world of dating in Illinois, the modern way helps to cull many people who won’t match. By using dating apps like Badoo for Chicago, people can now narrow down to find people in their area who are of their age and are looking to date. After narrowing down the search to those who you want to meet, you can then work out which of Chicago’s finest, but most cost-effective, locations will be best for your date.

Did you know that you can get into the zoo for free?

One of the oldest zoos in the country is also one of Chicago’s finest, but best of all, it’s free to everyone. Young or old, arriving as a couple or in a group, the Lincoln Park Zoo doesn’t charge a dime on entry. Fees aside, zoos are among the best places to go on a daytime date: animals are cute and interesting, it lets you stroll around outside, and you can often earn yourself some points by donating to the park on the way around.

Situated just a few minutes north of downtown Chicago, Lincoln Park Zoo is one of the most popular places in the city. Despite being established in 1868, Trip Savvy notes that the zoo continues to update itself and is now described as one of the most contemporary zoos regarding conservation, recreation, and education. The exhibits are modern within the intimate grounds, and yet it upholds classic Chicago architecture, ensuring that the whole park is visually stunning.

With exotic animals to see in a beautiful venue, with a few weird facts up your sleeve, you can easily make the Lincoln Park Zoo the basis of a very impressive date at very little cost to your wallet.

Show off your creative side at the art center

Not only is there a great range of art and ceramic classes, but the Bridgeport Art Center is one of the hidden gems of the Windy City. Home to a host of local artists, the venue is filled with their creative designs and artwork. Not only do the designs appeal to those with an artistic mind, but they specifically speak to people who live in Chicago and want to connect to the culture of the city.

Found on 35th Street, the Bridgeport Art Center is free to the public from 7 pm to 10 pm on every third Friday of the month. During these exhibits, you can wander in and have a look around the exhibits of local fashion designers, photographers, painters, and sculptors, as shown by Choose Chicago. To slap an exclamation mark on the evening being free, there is suffice free parking nearby, and there are often complimentary refreshments and even some wine served at the event.

Kick back and enjoy a film on the house

Anyone can take someone to go and see one of the current blockbusters in a crammed theatre filled with the general popcorn-munching public, but very few people know about the truly special experience at the University of Chicago. Every night of the academic year, the university’s Max Pavelsky Cinema screens a movie, predominantly featuring films that can’t be seen anywhere else. One night of the week will be dedicated to a particular theme, but on the other days, it could be anything. At the time of writing, the schedule was Wind Across the Everglades, Killer of Sheep, and Penguin Highway.

Doc Films offers quarterly memberships, summer memberships, and $7 general admission tickets, making the experience both cost-effective and very enjoyable. If you’re one for older movies or films not currently a part of the mainstream release schedule, you can put a unique spin on the classic date venture of going to the cinema. It’s a nice spin which makes a date that some people may initially see as a bit cliché as classy and memorable, instead.

Chicago is a wonderful city filled with great people to meet. If you manage to find yourself with someone who you’d like to get to know better or share an enjoyable experience with, consider one of these very cheap but enriching venues as the basis of your date in the Windy City.

7 Habits That Are Secretly Damaging Your Mental Health

By
Elizabeth Williams

We have a lot of stress throughout the day whether it’s us overthinking, being hard on ourselves, or bad influences around us and all of this affects our mental health. Bad habits can cause you to feel sick, stressed out, more anxious, and more depressed

1.Perfectionism

Trying to be your best at everything that you do is important but if you focus too much on being perfect in everything that you do, this can damage your self-esteem and affect you mentally. If you are constantly trying to be perfect this can undermine your efforts. Positive perfectionism is good because it means you always show your best work but negative perfectionism is when you set standards beyond your reach, feel dissatisfied with everything, and see your mistakes as a meaning of unworthiness. Research shows that all these things cause anxiety, uncertainty, distress, and a fear of making mistakes.

  1. Guilt

Guilt is another habit that affects us mentally, and it usually starts during our childhood. An example of this is being told to finish our dinner because there are starving children in China. You may feel guilty about leaving your family to go to work and this guilt can prevent you from being completely focused on your tasks. Habits of guilt include blaming yourself for situations that have nothing to do with you, refusing to forgive yourself and perceiving yourself as a bad person for small reasons.

3.Eliminate Stress

Stress will come back from many various sources together with relationships, work, personal loss, and finances. Being stressed consumes nutrients and energy and this will cause you to feel weak. Reducing stress improves sleep, reduces anxiety, depression, and improves productivity and relationships. Signs that you simply are stressed embody mood changes, tension, anxiety, relationship issues, changes in appetite, problem remembering or concentrating. once you acknowledge that you simply are experiencing these symptoms it’s necessary to eliminate it right away.

You can scale back stress in some ways together with maintaining a healthy diet, exercising, and relaxing. you’ll be able to conjointly notice somebody to speak to, change your perspective, and set realistic goals for yourself. If you’re extremely stressed, you’ll turn to drugs or alcohol to require some weight off of your shoulders. If you’re combating an addiction, you’ll be able to check out rehab centers that will assist you to modify any type of addiction.

  1. Poor Sleeping Habits

Poor sleeping habits can cause both physical and emotional stress because if you are not getting enough sleep, you are not allowing your brain and body to recover from the difficulties you experienced throughout the day. Sleep helps you be better prepared for the challenges that may arise the next day. Research proves that people who do not get a good amount of sleep tend to suffer from mental health problems. Reports from

The Sleep Helth Foundation show that 60-90% of patients with depression suffer from insomnia too. Insomnia can be associated with anxiety, depression and psychological stress. Drinking caffeine late in the day, being stressed out before bed, or using electronic devices before bedtime is all things that can cause you to have bad sleeping habits.

  1. Slouching

A study published in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Physiciatry shows that the way we walk is affected by the way we are feeling. When subjects were asked to walk hunched over, they experienced bad moods and remembered negative things more than positive things. If you lift your chin up and put your shoulders back it can help you think positive. It is okay to occasionally have negative thoughts but constantly having these thoughts is what prevents us from succeeding.

  1. Not Exercising

If you workout at least three times a week, you decrease your chance of being depressed by 19%. Studies show people who are depressed are less likely to be active and those who exercised were less likely to be depressed.

  1. Poor Use of Smartphones/Social Media

With all the messaging systems and apps that exist today, it can be very difficult to stay off of our smartphones. Professionals worry that excess smartphone use causes an addiction, with users constantly checking for notifications because of the constant fear of missing out. According to research done in the Journal of Affective Disorders, this can lead to an increase in symptoms on anxiety, depression, and lower self-esteem. Overuse of social media is another factor that causes anxiety and lowers self-esteem specifically in teenagers. A survey done by the Telegraph reports that 62% of participants reported feeling jealous and inadequate compared to other social media users.

With practice and determination, it is possible to break these bad habits in order to improve your mental health. There are so many habits that we all have that we do not even realize affects our mental health. It is important to improve these habits or end them completely to better ourselves and our lives. With the right mindset and treatment, it is possible to overcome these challenges.

When You Are Tired Of Life And You Can’t Seem To Find The Strength To Move On, Read This

By
Stephanie Reeds

Trust me, I know how you feel. I know how it is to feel exhausted from everything.

I know how it is to be mentally and emotionally drained.

We run around in circles, we hurry to catch the next best opportunity, we rush to catch the next bus, we compete against everyone else, we pretend like it doesn’t hurt when others treat us bad when in reality, we are heartbroken. We chase our dreams, we walk all over people, we dedicate our souls to our careers, we force ourselves to behave heartlessly, just like robots and eventually we burn out.

Guess why? Because we are not robots. We are not heartless, and we are not almighty.

We are human. We have a fragile, palpitating heart, we have warm, thick blood running through our veins, and we feel everything. Oh boy, do we feel…

We love passionately, we fight fiercely, we hate deeply, we hurt intentionally, we argue viciously, we laugh intensely, we cry, we ache, we hide, we seek help, we are afraid, we fall…

And eventually, we get tired. Tired of everything around us.

I mean how could we not? Just take a look around you.

This world is like the craziest, scariest and highest rollercoaster and we are all rushing to get on it. But as soon as we buckle up and as soon as it gets going, we realize that it is too much for us to handle.

The truth is, we are all tired. Don’t let someone’s cool, calm exterior fool you. We all fake it outside, in the real world. But only we know how it feels when we are all alone by ourselves. We are nothing more than an army of tired, exhausted and lost souls who are desperately searching for the meaning of life. We all want to find happiness, but we are afraid to make an extra effort for it. We want to take risks and change our routines, but we are afraid that failure might crush us down. We want to try but we are afraid that we might not be able to start all over again. Because we are tired. We have exceeded our limits.

But you know what? That’s fine. It’s not scary, it’s not embarrassing, and it is certainly not something that should discourage us from moving forward.

It’s a part of life. Something that happens quietly but teaches us the most important lessons in life.

That giving up should never be an option. But slowing down and stopping when life gets hard should.

Getting tired of life is a part of your journey. And it always happens in the exact right time when it needs to happen. It happens when you are ready to accept some of life’s truths and when you are ready to finally make the change that you’ve been thinking about.

You are going through a wonderful metanoia. Embrace that fact and let life teach you everything you need to know. You are exhausted because you need to learn to rest. You are tired because you need to learn that self-love is the first thing that you need to tick off your list if you want to find happiness.

Healthy And Happy Relationships Are Those In Which Partners Respect Each Other’s Need For Privacy

By
Riley Cooper

Enjoying emotional intimacy and sharing experiences are two important parts of any healthy, happy, successful relationship. But, so is the partners’ willingness to understand and respect each other’s need for privacy.

If your partner is expecting you to recognize and respect their need for privacy, it doesn’t mean that they want to spend days or weeks away from you, or that they’re doing something bad behind your back, or that they want you to let them live a separate life.

Instead, they’re just expecting you to respect their boundaries. They want to know that they can hang out with their friends or go to parties or concerts only with their “crew” without having to answer hundreds of questions about where they’re going or who they’re going with. They want to know that you trust them. They want to feel independent.

In healthy, harmonious, successful relationships, both partners understand that they don’t need to share with each other everything they’re feeling or thinking. Because when you’re in a relationship with someone who wants to know how you’re feeling and what you’re thinking or doing at any moment and who constantly wants to be informed about your whereabouts, gradually you start feeling smothered by them.

Couples who enjoy stable, happy relationships understand that they need to allow each other some amount of privacy so that they can build, experience, and enjoy their lives as two separate individuals.

What you need to understand is that when you and your significant other allow each other to enjoy some reasonable amount of privacy, you actually give each other the opportunity to grow personally and learn new things about how genuine, deep, strong relationships work.

To make sure that you and your partner want to have the same amount of privacy in your relationship, the best thing you can do is talk to them about it. Have an open conversation in which both of you will let each other know how much space you need. Working through and respecting this kind of differences is something you need to do if you want to avoid having misunderstandings and problems in your relationship.

If your partner is jealous, maybe because they were cheated on in their previous relationship, accusing them of being insanely jealous, dramatic, or paranoid won’t do your relationship any good. What you can do instead is openly talk about this problem to your partner. Tell them how their jealousy and constant doubts are affecting you. Let them know they can have absolute trust in you.

If you’re wondering how much privacy you need in a relationship and how you can make sure your need for privacy is met, all you and your partner need to do is make sure that you both feel heard, safe, accepted, and supported. Because when you feel this way in the relationship, you’ll both feel that you love and care about each other even when your need for privacy is not being completely met in the moment.

Restore Your Old Mirrors for Modern Elegant Interior Designs

By
Elizabeth Williams

In its basic form, glass is a substance that becomes mirror when polished with silver at its back. This silver originally is not paint but a chemical reaction of a very thin layer over the glass. When silver is painted on the glass surface there happens a chemical reaction that produces thin film coated on the glass surface.

Sometimes it is easy to find how to restore and refresh your old and antique glass mirrors. Because usually, it takes just coating a new silver film or mirror polishing. Or just replace the hardware covering from outside. But glass restoration requires proper timing like if you are trying to restore a badly worn out article then it’s too late. At this point, you must be having window glass replacement.  Once things start to look dull and drab you have to take measures to restore them immediately.

Antique Mirrors An Integrity To Interior Décor         

Antiques have their unique appeal and they give your house entirely classic looks when placed. Mirrors come in all the shapes and design especially vintage and classic ones are rare but great to find. If you are looking for something that will provide you room a classical beauty and vintage charm then go and grab an antique mirror and make it worth placing in your room. With the help of a few tricks and hacks, you can easily restore your old boring mirror into a new and charming one.

For making your contemporary home interiors look more of its type you have to go out of the box. Like, you must be placing some odd things that will completely go with your room décor. For instance a large antique mirror but with a glossy and shiny frame that matches your room interior settings.

What To Do Before Mirror Restoration

Vintage mirrors and antique glass articles have their worth in the market. But if they are dull and boring with dark smudges and spots they will be of no value. To fix the problem and to refresh your old deteriorated mirrors you have to keep them very carefully.

Since the antique and old mirrors have been made years and years ago so you have to proper considerations before restoring them

  • First of all, keep safety at its utmost level while placing or shifting a mirror from one place to another place. Because what will remain for you if the mirror is damaged physically or broken down?
  • Second must have consideration is do properly consult with some of your friends, family members or some interior designer for making your mirror reinstated. You may consult and get help from your near custom mirror
  • Last but not least is for silvering or polishing use quality material and health measures too. Use gloves, masks and paper sheets while doing the entire project.

 Now for the restoration purpose, you can have many tricks and hacks to restore your old mirror, below are some common but handy flunkies that will do magic to your mirror.

Silvering Material Spray

Number one is the process that actually made the mirror. Yes, silvering of the mirror will get it a new life and charm to it. Use proper finishes and silvering equipment to silver the back of the mirror. But before doing it properly clean the mirror with safe hands. For cleaning the mirror, use glass cleaning sprays and some soft rug to wash it.

After properly cleaning the mirror put silvering material spray over it. While spreading the plastic sheets around the mirror to avoid silvering substance splash out on your floor. Use proper gloves and masks then spray the silver on the back of the mirror. After carefully spraying, place the mirror to dry out. In this way, you will be able to restore your old worn out the glass into a new and useful one.

Replacing The Outside Chrome

May be your mirror glass is safe and sound inside and require no proper measurements to reestablish it. But the frame outside maybe it is worn out and deteriorated enough that it needs replacement. Another benefit of replacing the outside chrome is that you can easily customize the chrome material according to you your room interior décor. You can match the colors and patterns to make it more of your taste.

Backlights LED On Your Mirrors

Another great way of use is to place backlights LEDs on your mirrors. For making your place cozy and dreamy lights play a great role. And if lights are combined with mirrors then the magic is double. Putting task lights and under lights on your mirror will restore its purpose and your place.

Spray A Mirror-Like Paint   

Last recommended refurbishment measurement is spraying the mirror-paint. First of all clean the mirror with safe hands and place at some non-functional area to spray it. Put gloves and masks on you. Spread the plastic sheets and rough papers to avoid spray splashes on your walls and floor. Then spray a mirror-like paint on your glass it will work wonder to revamp your glass mirror.

How Traveling Makes You a Better Person

By
Elizabeth Williams

You only live once (YOLO).

There’s nothing like the soft, warm feel of the sand under your feet, the cool, gentle breeze that touches your face, the picture-perfect view of the horizon, and the calming sound of the waves.

Traveling is one of life’s greatest joys. Aside from giving you a wonderful escape from the hustle and bustle of your daily life, traveling makes you a better person in so many ways.

You Realize that Life is a Battle of Wills

When there’s a will, there’s a way. Traveling is not all fun. Many unexpected things can happen along the way. From missing your flights to losing your luggage (or your wallet) getting lost in a strange city, ending up in a filthy hotel, and so on – you realize that you can never go away with bad situations, bad circumstances, and bad people in life. But while you can’t change the situation, you can change your attitude towards it. You can let yourself dwell into negativity, not finish your trip, and go home, or you can wear a smile in your face, continue your journey, and choose to be happy.

Memories are More Precious than Material Things

When you travel, you realize that “price” and “value” are two different things. Traveling costs money, especially if you plan to visit a foreign land. The cost of a seven-day trip could cost you three months of your salary. But then, you choose to embark on this trip because of the value it could bring to your life. Memories are priceless. They are something you will treasure for the rest of your life. If the cost is holding you back from traveling the world, you can always save up. You don’t have to rush to complete your travel bucket list. Stick to a modest budget to save more money. Good thing, there are online payday loans for bad credit that can help cover some of your travel expenses, even if you have a poor credit score.

Traveling Teaches You to Be Mindful

We live in a world that is heavily dependent on technology. We spend hours glued to our screens at work and even at home. We’ve gotten so intertwined with our devices that we no longer get the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of nature and real human interaction. Traveling is a wonderful way to disconnect from our devices and embrace mindfulness. You can’t enjoy touring around a foreign city when you are not paying attention to the present moment. Practicing mindfulness lifts our spirits, strengthens our mind, and helps us to regulate our emotions, which ultimately make us a better person.

Traveling Makes You Conquer Your Fears

Setting foot on a strange land is scary enough. What more diving off from a plane, jumping from a cliff, or walking on a glass-bottom bridge? Traveling makes us do things we never thought we could ever do, not even in our dreams! Adventures like these are once-in-a-lifetime. Yet, their impact lasts for long.

It Makes You Appreciate Diversity

As you visit different countries or regions, you realize that age, gender, color, race, or religion don’t define people. And that everyone is unique, beautiful, and deserves to be loved and respected. As you learn about their culture and traditions, you appreciate other races more. You realize that people are just like you underneath it all and that the differences in culture is something to be embraced, appreciated, and enjoyed, and not to be feared.

Through Traveling, You Can Find Yourself

Venturing to a new city without knowing a single soul takes a lot of courage. So as going out of your comfort zone and trying out new things. Situations like these make you tap into your strengths, learn about your weaknesses, and understand yourself even more. Also, getting away from the stresses of your daily life and giving yourself time to relax and be alone, is a great way to connect with your inner self, ponder on things like what you really want in life, and find what truly makes you happy.

You Realize that the Best Things in Life are Free

Sure, the plane tickets were expensive. But by exploring the world, you realize that the greatest joy comes from the simplest things – the smile on a stranger’s face, the peacefulness in the island, the soft, powdery feel of the sand under your feet, and the cool breeze touching your face. You realize that no material thing – not even that luxury car you’ve been working hard to buy – can give you much peace and happiness than being one with nature.

Traveling Gives You an Opportunity to Think and Reflect

When we feel overwhelmed with our goals and responsibilities, all we want is some kind of distraction, at least for a while. Traveling gives you just that. Whether you’re making a big decision or just made one but unsure about whether it was the right thing, traveling gives you the much-needed space to think through and reflect.

What You’ll Feel Once You Meet The Love of Your Life Finally

By
Stephanie Reeds
meeting the love of your life

What you’ll feel when you meet the love of your life?

They will arrive when you least expect them. They will come into your life at the best possible timing and they will change your world from its core. You will not fall in love with this person. You will consciously walk into love with them.

Because from the very first moment your eyes meet, you will know that they were always meant to be. Nothing will ever feel the same. Nothing will ever make sense without them in your life.

This person will encourage you to be who you truly are.  They will let you know that with them you can feel the safest. They will be your biggest support. They will give you the strength to believe in yourself and reach for your dreams. They will inspire you to grow, open your wings and fly. They will love you for your authenticity and your peculiarity.

When you meet the one, the relationship just flows.

You will no longer be afraid to open your heart and show them your true colors. Because their presence and their smile will give away everything you need to know about this person.

This person will make you feel peaceful, calm, and safe. They will give you all the love that you craved your whole life. They will make you feel things that you’ve never felt with anyone else before them. What’s even more important, they will make you realize that you’ve never really loved anyone else in your life.

Once this human being enters your world, every piece of your puzzle will fall into place. Everything you’ve ever doubted will become clear. Every question you’ve ever asked yourself will be answered. Every worry you’ve ever had will fade away. Life will be simpler and easier. Just the way it should be.

You won’t have to try hard with them, because they will give their best to make their intentions clear. They will love you from the bottom of their heart and they will let you know that there is no other person they would rather be with. And each and every day, their kisses, their smile, their touch, and their eyes will prove that to you. (1)

When you meeting the love of your life, you will instantly know that they are meant to stay in your life forever.

Something about this person will tell you that they are the one. Something about their smile will reveal to you that this is the moment that you’ve been waiting for your whole life. And you will need no reassurance whatsoever. Because your heart will know. And that will be enough for you.

This person will believe in you. They will make you the happiest person in the universe. They will love you unconditionally and purely. And they will prove to you that there is someone for everyone.

So, please… don’t give up just yet. You never know what tomorrow might bring.

Have faith and follow the signs that the universe is giving you.

This Goes To The Man Whose Partner Suffers From Anxiety: She Is Not Broken, She Needs Your Help

By
Stephanie Reeds

You might have seen her waking up in the middle of the night or turning around in bed for a whole night. You might have overheard her conversation with her friend that she is under a lot of stress. You might have noticed her that she easily gets angry and overwhelmed. You might have felt her rage. You might have caught her in the middle of a panic attack.

But you have never wondered why is she acting that way, haven’t you?

You’ve never thought about the possibility that she might actually be going through a very difficult time in her life. That she might actually be struggling with a mental illness. That she might need your help…

Because everything she is going through is just a part of life, isn’t it? Everything that she is experiencing is normal. There is nothing wrong with her. Sometimes she is even exaggerating.

Well, news flash. She not. She has anxiety and she is suffering.

And believe me, your love and support are the only things that she wants from you right now.

Anxiety is not the same for every person who is experiencing, so you need to be patient with her. She is embarrassed and afraid to tell you about her problem because she thinks that you would never believe her. So, she is doing her best to give you the hints that she is not feeling well.

You have to be there for her and let her know that she shouldn’t feel uncomfortable to share her pain with you. You have to talk to her. Convince her to open her soul and feel free to let it all out. You have to hug her more. Let her know that you are there for her, no matter what. You have to encourage her to take it slower. You have to try and calm the thunderstorms in her mind. You have to try and hush her insecurities. You have to try and hug her fears. You have to remind her that she is stronger than her illness and that she is much more than her anxiety. You have to show her that life is beautiful and pretty extraordinary if one knows how to live.

Most of all, you have to believe her. No matter how strange or unbelievable her words sometimes are, you have to give your best and believe every word she says. Because she is hurting and only she knows how difficult it is to wake up and go to bed with this condition.

I know that this might be difficult for you. But just imagine how difficult this is for her.

She doesn’t get to choose whether she wants anxiety to be a part of her life or not. She doesn’t get to choose whether she wants to feel vulnerable and paranoid or not. She doesn’t get to choose whether she will have another panic attack, or she’ll keep moving on in life like nothing ever happened. Anxiety chooses that for her.

This woman has you by her side and she wants you to be there for her. She is vulnerable, scared and she needs you to take her hand and help her go through this pain. She is not broken, she is not flawed and she is not exaggerating. She wants your help. So, be that person for her. Be the support that she needs!

Children Who Have Been Raised In Non-Religious Families Are More Emphatic Towards Others

By
Stephanie Reeds

Children raised in religious families are more punitive and less kind than the ones raised in non-religious, according to a study that was conducted by seven universities across the world.

Academics studied and analyzed Christian, Muslim and non-religious children in order to find out whether religion has a certain negative influence on children’s born altruism and their findings shocked them. According to their research, there is a negative association between kindness and religion.  

“Overall, our findings … contradict the commonsense and popular assumption that children from religious households are more altruistic and kind towards others,” explained the authors of the study called The Negative Association Between Religiousness And Children’s Altruism Across The World, which was published in the Current biology.

Moreover, the academics behind this big research called into question whether religion is important for moral and emotional development by supporting the idea that growing up in a non-religious environment will not necessarily reduce one’s kindness or cause one’s moral compass to malfunction.

The participants in the study were 1200 children from all over the world. They were aged between 5-12 and they came from the US, Canada, China, Jordan, Turkey, and South Africa. 24% of them were Christian, 43% Muslim and 27,9% were non-religious. The numbers of the children who grew with some of the other religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism and Agnosticism were too small to be statistically valid.

First, they were told to choose stickers. Then they were told that unfortunately there aren’t enough stickers for everyone. The researchers wanted to see if the children would gladly share or they would fight with one another. Shortly after that, they were shown a movie where children were fighting with each other. The researchers were very interested in their first responses.

The results of their study indicated that children from families that were religious (mainly Christian and Muslim) were less empathic and altruistic than the ones from non-religious families. The study also proved that religiosity can affect children’s punitive tendencies since the children from religious families appeared to be more judgmental of others’ actions.

For example, Muslim children judged “interpersonal harm as more mean” and demanded more brutal punishment than the ones who were Christian or non-religious.

The final report concluded that 5.8 billion human beings or in other words, 84% of the worldwide population identify as religious. So, “while it is generally accepted that religion contours people’s moral judgments and pro-social behavior, the relation between religion and morality is a contentious one,” the authors explained.

“It would be interesting to see further research in this area, but we hope this goes some way to undoing the idea that religious ethics are innately superior to the secular outlook. We suspect that people of all faiths and none share similar ethical principles in their day to day lives, albeit may express them differently depending on their worldview,” they stated.

1...439440441...704Page 440 of 704

Follow us on Instagram @curiousmindmagazine

© Curiousmindmagazine 2015