Category: Dating & Love

Ok, stay with me on this one—as your happiness is level is a crucial factor which dictates successful outcomes with online dating. You’ve all probably seen Harvard’s ongoing Happiness Project or the yearly stats on the Danes and Swedes being the happiest people in the world.

Why am I writing this? It’s been forefront on my mind the last few weeks as a dating coach and former matchmaker. Exactly how does your personal happiness affect your dating?

Ok, my intelligent clients, you’re like this is sooo obvious. You can’t expect another person to make you happy if you are unhappy. Agree. But read the 10 factors and have a think.

Two things compelled me to write this:

1. Whether you are my client or just follow me, you may notice you can’t sign up and you can’t see the pricing packages UNLESS you have a 15-minute call with me. Yep, the call is free and really my opportunity to learn a bit about you—and whether we are a good fit and I can help. Plus, I live for success—and 60%+ of my clients are in relationships, living together, married, etc. Not a bad batting average.

And guess what? I can tell during this 15-minute call the chances you’ll be successful based on the info you give me. Yes. Really. So, it’s a screening process for me—and you won’t waste your money and time if I’m not the fit. Because I won’t take you. It’s just me and my time is valuable—as is yours. I’ll probably just point you in another direction.

2. Yesterday, while on a 5 mile walk with Luna, my golden retriever and happiest walking buddy in the world, I was chatting with one of my sisters. (I come from a large Irish family so there’s lots of us!). Bottomline, she’s been bummed out about her love life over the past year—here she is a pretty, in great shape 50-year-old. But the stuff she is doing will get her nowhere—since she isn’t a client, I could be super blunt!!! (To differentiate, clients who know me—I’m graciously direct!).

And, I asked her, Josie*, on a scale of 1-10, how happy are you in general? Josie paused, then said a 6-7. Ok, I told her, I can work with that. Yep, siblings get me for free.

Had she said 1-4, I would have said maybe you need a therapist—which I most certainly am not. But a 7—heck yes, I can work with that. BTW, anyone who told me a 10, I think they need therapy too. LOL.

So, have you done a personal happiness check lately? Here’s 10 things to think about:

1. Social connections are really good for you*.

Why? Because loneliness kills. It forges isolation and unhappiness.

2. Binging.

Ted Lasso, Yellowstone, The Diplomat, The Office, etc. for 3-4 hours each evening. Add those hours up and think what you could be doing! Plus, again it disconnects you from people.

3. Self-Care
Now, this does not mean a costly massage/facial weekly. It could simply be scheduling a weekly lunch with a friend.

4. Your Health
This needn’t be starting to train for the NY Marathon. It might be trying a hiking group, Pilates, lifting weights, hitting 10,000 steps on your Fitbit. Endorphins feel sooo good!

5. Try something new every week.
I get to know my clients so well—some things they try are a self-defense class, painting, a basketball league for over 50 men, archery class. You know the big side benefit? You’ll meet new people too.

6. Pick quality over quantity.
It’s the quality of your close relationships that ups your happiness quotient.

7. Hold yourself accountable.
Hey, we do/did this in our professional life, raising children—why wouldn’t we do this with our personal and love life?

8. Step away and take a minute for yourself.
That could be reading. It could be meditating. It could be a restorative yoga class. Hey, I see more and more high-powered men and women taking yoga (when some used to make fun of it!).

9. Go for it. Just do it.
Ok, borrowing a bit from Phil Knight here (I just saw Air and loved it) —but regret does not taste good. So, what if you are high profile and your photo is on an online dating site? And someone sees you? Well, they are on it too. Get over these obstacles.

10. Know your Self-Worth
If you know this, you won’t be insecure about dating and relationships. And what do I always say? Self-confidence is sooo sexy!

Happiness matters. Be happy with yourself before pursuing a relationship. Once you are there, call me! I totally like my clients and what I do every day—it’s fun and never, ever boring.

Oh, and I have a very fun article for you later this week. I found a very unique way to meet people on a trip to Europe last week!!!

Love, Laughter and Happy Dating,

Andrea McGinty & Luna

33000Dates.com

Want to do the 15-min chat? Text me at 702-494-7344 and be sure to tell me your time zone.

#dating
#datingexpert
#datingtips
#writeonlinedatingprofile
#Datingconsultant
#datingcouselor

*Changed my sister’s name

*From the Happiness Project partially

When people desire to be in a relationship, they are not wanting or needing company or someone to do things with. Most people look for that perfect relationship because they want real, true intimacy in their life. But what is intimacy, really?

Intimacy is NOT the same thing as sex. You can have sex without intimacy.

Intimacy is TRUE and genuine closeness with another human being. It is a connection that is developed over time. While intimacy brings unparalleled joy into our lives, it can also feel incredibly frightening to some people. Because to be intimate means to open yourself up to another human being. It means showing up, flaws and all, and putting in the work.

Ultimately, intimacy is a wonderful byproduct of an emotional connection that has been built over time by two individuals who deeply love and respect each other.

What Does Fear of Intimacy Look Like?

While many people struggle with a fear of intimacy, not everyone knows the signs and symptoms, as they can be mistaken for other emotions.
People who fear intimacy often have low self-esteem and trust issues. They may experience episodes of anger from time to time and have a history of toxic relationships. Many avoid physical contact and are unable to easily share their feelings or express emotions.

How Therapy Can Help

There are a variety of reasons a person may experience fear of intimacy. From childhood trauma to low self-worth and fear of rejection, people from all walks of life, all ages, and all backgrounds have developed a fear of getting close to another person.

If you believe you have a fear of intimacy, sex therapy is a powerful tool that can help you work through any underlying causes. A therapist can help you identify the root of your trouble and help you weed it out. He or she can also help you heal from any past traumas so you can start to get close and connect with others.

The bottom line is, intimacy is a wonderful part of life. To miss out on it would be a tragic shame.

If you’d like to work with someone on your intimacy issues, please reach out to me. I can provide tools and techniques to help you develop a deeper connection with your partner and yourself.

 

SOURCES:

Each year in this country millions of children are the victims of child abuse at the hands of parents, guardians and other adults. Whether this abuse is physical, sexual, verbal or emotional, it can leave scars on their heart and psyche for many years.

Here are just some of the long-term effects of child abuse on adult survivors:

Forming Healthy Bonds and Relationships

The lingering effects of childhood abuse make it very difficult to trust others and form normal, healthy connections. Survivors may find it particularly difficult to maintain successful romantic relationships as they may not be able to ever let their guard down and be truly vulnerable with their partner. 

Developing Health Conditions

Childhood abuse can eventually take a toll on our physical health and wellbeing. In fact, an NIH study suggests that certain symptoms are common in abuse victims, particularly in women who experienced sexual abuse as a child. Symptoms range from back pain to eating disorders, nightmares, severe headaches and even fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.

A Lack of Confidence

All children should feel safe and secure growing up. In a normal, healthy childhood, a child can emotionally attach to one or more adults who make them feel safe and secure. But in a childhood where the individual suffered some form of abuse, they may never have been able to form trusting bonds with others. And a lack of these secure attachments can negatively impact our ability to interact with the world around us as adults.

Getting the Help You Need to Move Through the Trauma

If you’re an adult who survived childhood abuse, there is help out there for you. While you cannot change the past, you can heal from the trauma so you can change your present and future.  

If you would like to explore treatment in a safe and secure setting, please reach out to me. I am here to provide the tools and safe space in which to explore and process your trauma. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and you can have the amazing life you know you deserve.

SOURCES:

https://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/features/what-to-know-adult-survivor-child-abuse

https://www.okrehab.org/mental-health-guide/how-child-abuse-affects-adult-survivors/

How the Effects of Child Abuse Can Impact Us as Adults

Counseling is intended to be a safe space for both couples and individuals.

No matter your stage of life, therapy can be an opportunity for you to practice social and emotional tools that will be a resource for you for a lifetime to come.

Whether you’re just getting into a relationship or you’ve already got the ring, here are some topics you and your significant other may tackle in premarital counseling and couples counseling:

Topics to Cover in Premarital or Couples Counseling

Personality

Who you are as a person is likely a big part of why your significant other chose a relationship with you! Your unique personality traits, sense of humor, smile, hobbies, and way of life go hand in hand with what you bring to your relationship.

By discovering more about yourself and your partner, you can discover the ways in which you may be uniquely fitted to each other.

Additionally, you may find that some of the ways your significant other was raised, their personality traits, or other attributes of their way of life may be triggering or argument-inducing to you.

And vice versa.

Discovering your differences may be intimidating at first. “What if we’re too different for each other?” you may be wondering.

However, differences are what make a couple stronger. When you understand the ways in which both of you thrive and the ways you differ, you can prevent future arguments and hurt feelings – all while coming up with a plan to process those experiences together.

This experience should be one that brings you closer together throughout your therapy journey.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Everyone has areas in which they excel and things they’re not so skilled at.

Maybe your strengths include:

• Conflict resolution
• The ability to go with the flow
• Standing up for yourself and speaking your mind
• Compassion
• Intuitive empathy for the other person’s feelings
• Emotional vulnerability
• Protective instincts
• A calm and collected personality
• A great sense of humor
• Attention to detail

Or a host of others! Whatever aspects define you, you can use to improve your relationship and strengthen yourselves as a couple.

You may find that while you’re excellent in some areas, you may struggle in others. For example, if one person is really good at being vulnerable with their emotions and communicating how they’re feeling, but isn’t great at speaking their mind when something isn’t right, they may be more likely to keep quiet about things that are bothering them.

This insight can give the other person a heads up that they may need to ask their significant other about their experiences in the relationship to make sure their voice is heard.

Whatever strengths you bring to the table can help spur your relationship on towards growth and positive development!

Knowing your own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of your significant other can help put out a lot of fires before they start. This is a key topic in most couples and premarital forms of counseling.

DP — What are your strengths? What are your partners’ strengths?

Infidelity

The topic of infidelity or cheating is a major issue that often necessitates a third party mediator like a therapist.

Reaching out for help to talk about particularly messy topics like cheating is an essential step in bringing resolution to your relationship and your own heart.

While it may be difficult to enter into a counseling relationship with your significant other to talk about this painful subject, it can make a big difference in your quality of life moving forward.

Each counselor approaches cheating differently. Some counselors prefer to do a thorough inspection together of all of the details surrounding the event. This may include:

• who cheated,
• specific details of the infidelity event,
• how long this has lasted,
• who else was involved, and
• other pertinent details.

Their goal is to have open communication to prevent future issues from snowballing into the same result.

Other counselors prefer to leave these in the past and start with a clean slate in counseling. The intent is to give both partners a chance to reset their relationship and begin again.

If you’re not sure how your counselor plans to approach counseling for infidelity, reach out to him or her and ask their intentions.

No matter what you’re discussing in the counseling session, therapy should always be a place of safety and free of judgment.

In this space, you and your significant other can work together to find a plan that works for you moving forward.

This might look like:

• Describing the ways your relationship looks differently now
• Noting the problems that your relationship had before the cheating started
• Asking questions related to the cheating event
• Sharing the ways the cheating took a toll on your mental/emotional/social state
• Imagining the ideal ways you and your significant other can move forward
• Sharing your emotions towards your significant other in a safe, nonjudgmental space

The process of tackling infidelity is not easy, but it can be very rewarding.

DP — Premarital counseling may include

Premarital 101

If you and your significant other are just starting the process of engagement and marriage, you may be interested in learning more about the person you want to spend the rest of your life with.

In premarital counseling, some common topics your therapist is likely to bring up include:

• Finances
• Your goals, dreams, and aspirations
• Your values
• Religion and/or spirituality
• Your future ie. will you have kids, where will you settle down, where will you spend the holidays, etc.
• Family dynamics
• Conflict resolution
• How you handle stress
• How will you handle household responsibilities
• Personal background

Next Steps

For more information for newly engaged couples and those looking at the next step in their relationship, check out this premarital counseling questionnaire with some of the main topics you’ll cover together when you start your sessions.

To schedule an appointment with a premarital or couples counselor, contact us today.

Poland is a fantastic country rich in its history, landscapes, unique cities and megacities, and most importantly – the most beautiful Polish brides. Do you want to marry one of the Polish beauties? Then you are on the right track, in my article, you will learn everything about the dating of charming Polish ladies.

❣️ Online dating in Poland and around the world is gaining popularity every year, how to win the heart of Polish brides online in 2023? Read on, as a psychologist with many years of experience, I did everything so that after reading this guide you would have no questions about the dating of Polish girls.

Let’s talk about the culture of Polish brides dating in general. According to statistics, there are more women in this country than men. Therefore, a lot of girls remain single and come to the decision to try online dating. This is just one of the many reasons why Polish brides look for foreign partners. The most common way of online dating is through specialized matchmaking platforms. As an expert, I can say that this method helps people connect hearts even more effectively than dating in real life.

Some statistics related to the issue of dating Polish brides:

👍🏻 Best way to meet Polish girls	dating sites
💍 Success rate	87%
💋 Average age of single women	24 – 32
👩‍❤️‍👨 Average age of marriage	27 y.o
🕘 Average time to find a Polish bride on a dating site	2 weeks

Polish Women 🆚 American: Main Differences to Know

Polish girls are a role model for many women of different nationalities from all over the world. Take for example the American girls who are not so popular and successful among men. I easily compared and wrote the main characteristics of the differences between these women since I have experience communicating with both of them.

🧘Beauty and Health

This is the first factor that strongly distinguishes Polish girls from American ones. In America, the idea of equality and feminism is widely developed, so women there believe that everyone should accept them for who they are. They do not try to look beautiful and attractive, which cannot be said about Polish ladies. Slavic girls always look well-groomed and charming. They have neat make-up, fresh styling, manicure, and an expensive delicious smell. Polish girls know a lot about fashion, they have a chic sexy look.

When it comes to sports and body care, Polish girls outperform American women in many ways. In Poland, girls lead a healthy lifestyle, regularly visit gyms and beauty salons, and eat healthy food. This makes them irresistible.

💒 Priorities in life

American women are the type of girls who have a career and work in the first place in life. They are purposeful and take this topic seriously. They will never agree to stay at home and not work anywhere, only to raise children to please their husbands. Polish girls, on the contrary, believe that a happy family is the meaning of life. They are real keepers of the family heart, most of them believe that a woman should be engaged in raising children and household chores.

👠 Self-confidence

American girls are guided by the idea of feminism and quite believe that they can live life without a man. They are self-confident and self-sufficient and have a strong and sometimes cold character. The center of their universe is themselves, their development, and their prosperity. Polish beauties have a softer and more gentle character. They are sensual natures with big kind hearts. These girls are more feminine and sophisticated, they want to be protected by their men. Slavic girls are sincere and cheerful, they know how to give warmth and joy to their loved ones.

👨‍👩‍👦 Relationship & Family

In relationships, American girls keep aloof from a man, do not show much care and affection, they are more focused on themselves. These women also do not bother about the fact that the relationship is serious and long-lasting. In America, girls prefer fleeting adventures or one-night stands. Slavic girls are in awe of creating relationships, it is important for them that a man treats them with respect. These ladies are real coquettes, they know how to flirt and make relationships romantic. American girls approach the issue of the family at 30-40 years old, but Polish girls at 23-26. As for the birth of children, American women are in no hurry with this, but girls from Poland believe that raising children is the main thing.

🔖 Interesting to know:

Citizens of Poland marry at an earlier age than other EU member states: on average, women marry at 24 and men at 26.5. Among the EU countries, Poles have the largest families.

⚡️ Money and Taste

American girls love freedom and money. They prefer not to deny themselves anything, they spend a lot of money on shopping, restaurants, and entertainment. These girls choose wealthy men, they look more at the wealth of a man than at his character and values. After all, they believe that you need to live in such a way that you do not deny yourself anything. Polish brides are more modest in this regard, they know how hard they get money, first of all, they strive to find a man for whom moral values are more important than material ones. With a beloved man, they agree to live even in a hut.

✈️ Meet Ladies In Real Life: Popular Cities For Dating Single Polish Women

If you prefer to meet girls offline, go on dates to restaurants or movies, then go where you can meet thousands of beautiful Polish brides. Poland is one of the most attractive tourist countries with a rich culture. Where can you meet the girl of your dreams?

🏙 Warsaw

Warsaw is the capital of Poland, a huge metropolis inhabited by millions of single girls who are looking for relationships. This city fascinates me with its beauty and mystery. There are also many museums, and excellent shops. There are also many decent restaurants where you can taste Polish cuisine at the same time, as well as invite a girl on a date. I highly recommend one of the best restaurants in the city – “Warszawa Wschodina”. Warsaw connects the past and present of Poland, being a real symbol of the modern Polish state, where you can meet real Polish brides.

🌇 Wroclaw

This is one of the largest popular cities in Poland. By the way, it is called the cultural capital. The city is famous for its historical architecture, ancient castles, monuments, and museums. Cozy little streets are simply mesmerizing and create a wonderful atmosphere for romantic dates. Wroclaw is also famous for its huge spacious squares, such as “Rynek we Wrocławiu” – a huge shopping and entertainment center where you can wander for hours on end, interesting for walking. By the way, you can meet many charming Polish girls there and get to know them in an unobtrusive atmosphere.

🌃 Gdansk

Gdansk is definitely worth a visit because it is far from being an ordinary Polish city, it is a legendary city with a thousand-year history that every tourist should see. Gdansk is a city of half a million people, which is called the sea capital of Poland. It is the economic, cultural, scientific, and tourist center of the country. From a tourist point of view, this is a unique place that, in addition to a lot of attractions, also offers a wonderful vacation by the sea, because the Gdansk coast is quite impressive. Gdansk beaches are always crowded and most visited from July to August. There you can meet hundreds of alluring girls in bikinis, and meet a Polish bride on a sunny beach – this is the dream of every man.

📲 Top 3 Services to Get Polish Brides Online

According to my observations, the most common and popular way to meet single men and women is online dating. You can find the perfect Polish bride and start chatting with her without even leaving your home. It saves time, allows dating in a comfortable environment, and offers a wide selection of girls for different tastes. What is the best site to use for online dating?

❤️ VictoriyaClub.com

This is one of the very professional and effective dating sites, I recommend it to many of my clients, as I am sure that with the help of this platform, one can achieve good results in dating. The site is very popular and has been working in the field of love for 10 years. The most beautiful and worthy girls fill up the catalog of brides on VictoriyaClub.com. They are all looking for a serious relationship. The site has budget rates and 24/7 support. I trust this site because I have many positive reviews from happy couples who met there.

❤️ Loveinchat.com

This site has proven itself very well and is very popular among men and women around the world. Charming cute girls crave dating and want to be loved. They chat and meet on Loveinchat.com because this is the best way to find a partner. The site has a pleasant interface, a loyal payment system, and a security system. For single men, registering on Loveinchat.com is the first key to a successful relationship.

❤️ Tenderbride.com

Tenderbride.com attracts men and women with its design, functionality, and customer support system. This platform is so popular because it has all the conditions for creating romantic communication for single people. Hundreds of men have found their love here. The platform offers various services such as SMS chats, video/photo viewing, video chat, and more. All this makes the site effective for dating. Tenderbride.com is absolutely safe and legal, all girls are real and looking for relationships.

😍 How to Charm the Bride & Dating Polish Women Rules

Regardless of which dating method you choose – online or offline, in any case, you need to make the girl show mutual sympathy for you. There are some dating secrets with Polish girls that you just have to know right now 👇🏻.

💌 Try to understand the bride

Find out what she intends. What does she love? What is important to her? What makes her happy? To do this, it is better to ask “open” questions. The ones that don’t have a simple yes or no answer. However, do not ask too complex questions. It should be sincere interest and not interrogation with prejudice. It is possible that after receiving the answers, you will not want to further “fall in love” with yourself. On a date or in correspondence, be interested in a girl, find a heading on the Internet – “questions for a girl to get to know her better”. Remember some questions that interest you, then ask them to the girl. So she will understand that you want to get to know her better, Polish girls like it when men show interest.

💌 Make a girl laugh

Tell the girl funny stories or insert funny remarks into your dialogue. If you can get to the point where the two of you have your own local jokes, then that will bring you even closer together. There is a fact that for most women it is important that their potential partner can make them laugh. In addition, if at the moments of your communication, a friendly and cheerful atmosphere soars around you, then this can smooth out any awkwardness that arises at the very beginning of a relationship.

💌 Ask her for favor

This is a secret tip that is a bit manipulative. Just ask the lady to do something for you. There is a psychological effect called the “Benjamin Franklin Effect” that goes something like this:

You ask a girl to do something for you, and she reciprocates, and immediately she subconsciously likes you a little more. You may be asking why that is. The explanation for this may be that our brain sees the reason why we helped, that this person is nice to us. Benjamin Franklin used this technique on his rivals and political opponents to make them like him more. It worked so well that they named the effect after him.

💌 Give her all your attention

In a world where a person’s attention can go anywhere, it is one of the most valuable things you can give a girl. Look into her eyes when she talks, answer her questions, respond to jokes and stories, and text more often.

The opposite advice is to pay no attention to it at all. Some girls will like you more if you don’t obey her will. It has been proven that women are more attracted to guys whose feelings they don’t understand.

But it’s a controversial topic in the pickup world, so the guys are about 50/50 divided on this one. You can choose which strategy is closer to you:

• Be sincere and honest, and pay maximum attention to a pretty girl.
• Being so “alpha” that you don’t pay attention to the girl at all.

✨ Final Thoughts

Dating Polish women offers single men the opportunity to build strong relationships and create a happy family. These girls are the most desirable among men from all over the world, with them you will feel what true love is. Meeting a Polish bride will open up a new world for you and give you an unforgettable experience. The first step for this is organizing a trip or dating through dating services. Start right now!

Have you ever stayed with someone in spite of them saying they weren’t interested in something serious? We’ve all heard of situations where someone did just need a bit of time to change their mind about commitment, so how can we tell a dead-end situation from one that actually has potential?



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Matthew:

Recently I was sent a clip from Lisa Bilyeu, Women of Impact podcast, which I appeared on where I went on a bit of a rant it seems about a very confusing thing that men often say early on in dating. This clip got over a million views, so I thought, let’s revisit it and see what I have to think about it now.

Video Clip of Matthew:

It’s not them saying, “By the way, I’m not sure I know you well enough yet.” That’s fine. Let’s get to know each other better then.

Lisa Bilyeu:

Yeah.

Video Clip of Matthew:

If they’re saying, “I’m not sure I’m ready for a relationship,” that is a giant red flag. They are . . . 

Matthew:

Okay, heating up.

Video Clip of Matthew:

. . . telling you today, “I am going to hurt you. In case you didn’t hear, I am going to hurt you.” They’re telling you to your face that you are going to get your heart broken here.

So you have to make a decision with that. Do I want to continue to invest in someone who says they’re not sure they’re ready for a relationship? Do you . . .

Matthew:

Okay, so this is the rant. Now I am ranting.

Video Clip of Matthew:

Do you really want to do that? Now, you may say if you’re 25 and you’re like, “Well, whatever.”

Lisa Bilyeu:

Yeah.

Video Clip of Matthew:

Now I’m just going to have fun and we’ll see where this goes. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m not judging that.

Lisa Bilyeu:

Right.

Video Clip of Matthew:

But if you find yourself at a stage in your life where you know you are ready for something real and you’re excited about that and you’ve got someone in front of you who isn’t just assessing whether you are right for them, but is assessing whether a relationship is even exciting to them, why get into that situation? Why bother? Why spend the time. It’s like someone on the street. It is hard enough to sell someone a car who wants a car.

Matthew:

Now, this is a good metaphor.

Video Clip of Matthew:

Because they have options. You want a car. While I’m in the Honda dealership, I’m trying to convince you that you want a Honda. Don’t go to Ford. Hondas are great.

This is going to last you forever and it’s safe and I’m going to take . . . That’s a hard enough job as it is. I’m already competing with every other car manufacturer in the world. And I’m not just competing with those. I’m competing with all the other dealers.

Lisa Bilyeu:

Right. They sell same car.

Video Clip of Matthew:

I need my commission. Exactly. But imagine walking up to someone on the street and trying to sell them a car when they don’t even want a car. You’re trying to sell them a Honda and they’re going, “But I don’t want to drive. I’m not sure I even want to drive. I really like my bike.” All your work is ahead of you just to get them to want a car. Now you’ve got to convince them to want a Honda.

Matthew:

People often say, I’m the master of the metaphor, don’t they? Jameson?

Jameson:

Matthew is the master of the metaphor.

Audrey:

Blink twice if you’re in danger.

Matthew:

It’s funny because sometimes I watch a moment like that and I’m like, “Why was I so mad that day?” or “What was I feeling so energized about on this point?” But I know that where it comes from is seeing people just bang their head against the wall over and over again over the years. And there’s always some logic we tell ourselves about why we should keep trying with someone. There’s always a story we have of a friend it worked out for when they persisted with someone who wasn’t ready.

I wanted to add some nuance to this whole point because really what this comes down to for me is, and this doesn’t just pertain to your love life, it pertains to every part of life. There is a kind of flow, not to sound too heady, but there is a kind of flow to success in any area. There are moments where we, to quote Matthew McConaughey in his book, which I’ve been reading, Greenlights, there are moments where we hit a red light. And if we keep trying to persist with that, it’s like we’re not going with the waves. We’re not surfing anymore. We’re just going to get hurt.

When someone says, “I’m in,” that’s a green light. When we find that the more energy we put into someone, the more we get back, that’s a green light. And too often what I’ve seen over 15 years of doing this now in people’s love lives is that they persist on a red light.

One of the things I’ve learned in business is there are times where I might reach out to someone and have done over the years because I’d like to interview that person, I’d like them to join us on the podcast, I’d like to make a connection, and that person doesn’t respond, or maybe they initially respond and we have a nice exchange, and I get excited because I’m like, “Oh, this is great. This person responded,” and then they just go off the radar. My next message to them or my next email doesn’t get a response.

There was a time in my life where I might have taken that very personally, and I might have made it about me and I’ve done something wrong, I shouldn’t have said that, or there’s some I’m not worthy, I’m not good enough, that’s why they didn’t respond. And these days I really start to see it more in terms of just flow like, oh, I’m this river that’s just moving, right? I’m always just moving forward. And along the way I sometimes hit a rock. And instead of personalizing the rock and what the rock thinks of the water, I instead just see it as a rock. “Oh, there’s a,” as Matthew McConaughey I would say, “there’s a red light there.” Instead of obsessing over that, I might actually just say, “Well, okay, this is representing a stop right now. I’m going to move around this.”

That distinction, although it’s a very, very simple one when you hear it, is one that a lot of us aren’t making emotionally. We’re not making it in our behaviors. We are exhausting ourselves trying to move on a red light. In the process we end up resenting the person, we end up resenting how much time we’re losing, how much energy was wasted, and how much pain was created.

What I want to encourage you to do is you don’t have to, my energy in that interview was a little bit like, “When someone says they’re not ready, don’t waste your time in that person.” I wouldn’t actually encourage you to have that energy in your dating life.

A beautiful kind of energy is a relaxed energy, it’s one where you can go into a situation and you can feel resistance from someone. You’re still able to meet that person with kindness, compassion, warmth, charisma, your charm, but at the same time not choose to buy what they’re selling, which might be a casual relationship. It might be coming in and out of your life with weeks of silence in between. It might be a friends-with-benefits situation over the long term where they never actually decide to commit to a real relationship or exclusivity.

When you see that, you can meet that with total calm and even warmth so that that person continues to see your value as a person, your personality, and how wonderful you are, but it’s about redirecting your energy. I feel like when I say this, there’s almost that question in people’s minds of, “But when should I persist? How do I know the right time to persist instead of just giving my energy to somebody else? Because I do know people who said they weren’t ready in the beginning and my friend persisted and they ended up being ready.”

Well, firstly, we have to look at how stable any situation is, where we have to convince someone through sheer persistence. There is a good chance that when we just sort of this battering ram at the door of a relationship that just keeps going and going and going, that once that person’s actually in a relationship with you, it’s only a matter of time before they realize, “Oh, I didn’t really want this. I’ve just relented.”

We don’t want someone who’s in a relationship with us because they just relented at a certain point because their old wiring will reassert itself once things stabilize and once they get their bearings. And we also don’t want to waste that much energy. For someone who isn’t sure whether they want a relationship, the best route is for them to have seen your value and for that value to go elsewhere.

In attraction persistence with one person doesn’t equal attraction. That’s not how attraction works. People don’t get more attracted when we try harder. People tend to get more attracted when they see more value in us. And someone is much more likely to see the value in you when they realize that that value comes at a real price, price of investment, someone who has the door open to something more meaningful to building something.

So you can be persistent by absolutely be persistent. Persistence is not giving up. Persistence is saying, I would like to find love and I’m not going to settle until I find the love I’m looking for in life. That’s a form of persistence. But persistence can look like saying, “No, I’m not going to buy what you are selling me. I’m going to keep looking.”

Persistence can look like someone coming to you for a date who hasn’t reached out in three weeks, and you being honest with them and saying that the fact that they went off the radar made you feel like they weren’t interested, and now you’re kind of not really sure about whether you should go on another date because you don’t know where you stand with them. Persistence can be the opposite of what we think it looks like.

In fact, quitting can look like going back to someone simply because they want to pick you up again. Quitting can look like sleeping with someone regularly who’s not giving you what you want because you just want to be close to them. That’s not persistence. That’s not I’m going to keep trying with this person. That’s a form of quitting. That’s a form of relenting.

Persistence is allegiance to your goal, your North Star, what you are actually looking for. And I have Matthew McConaughey in my head all the time right now because I’m reading this book and every time something good in my life happens or that’s a signal to keep going with something, I always hear “Green light” in Matthew McConaughey’s voice in my head. But when someone says to you, “I’m not sure,” that to me it is a green light to go in a different direction. It’s not a green light to keep persisting with that person, with that rock. Be water. When a rock appears, you flow around it and you keep moving forward.

When someone says that they’re not ready for a relationship, that’s not just a red flag about that person, it’s a green light in another direction, it’s a signal that you should take your persistence, take your energy, take the drive to find a love that is worthy of your investment and direct that in more productive ways to people that actually have potential.

And by the way, I’m not saying that when you do that, this person isn’t going to have some kind of a turnaround and see your value and start trying harder. In fact, my point is that you have much more chance of that happening by using their resistance as a green light for another direction than using their resistance as a mandate for your persistence. You like that Jameson? Stage poetry, right Jameson?

Jameson:

Yeah. Yeah, Matthew’s a master of poetry.

Audrey:

Right, master of poetry.

Matthew:

I want to thank you by the way before you go for joining me in these videos every week. This channel has never been bigger than it is today, and it’s because you share the content, you tell your friends, you tell your family, and it means so very much to me. Thank you for engaging with the work that we are putting out there.

I also want to say to you, if you want to join us, not just on YouTube, but in something much more immersive, the Love Life Club is a brand new membership I have launched where I coach people every month, have masterclass, interviews with experts, an entire community that you can access of like-minded people in an app on your phone. It’s an amazing place to be right now, and it’s for anyone who wants to improve their confidence, find love, get a community, and enhance their love for life.

There’s a 14-day free trial on offer for you right now. All you need to do is go to JoinLoveLife.com. You can set up your free profile. It’s quick, it’s easy, and you can come and engage with me on a whole different level. It’s at JoinLoveLife.com. I’ll see you over there and thank you again for watching this video.

I will throw this pillow in your eye.

10 BEST PARENTING BOOKS FOR ALL AGES

Ah, parenting. We love our tiny humans unconditionally. Infinitely! But they don’t show up on our doorstep with a ready-to-go how-to guide! We figure it out one day at a time. Sometimes we need help – preferably from others who have gone through the journey (and survived!).

So, whether you’re deep in the trenches of toddlerhood, raising feisty tweens, or sullen, silent teens, we’re here to help. We’ve rounded up 10 of the best parenting books chock full of easy-to-implement parenting tips to help you navigate the messy, confusing, love-filled gig called parenting!!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. To learn more about ’em, click here.

Our selection of parenting books covers all stages of the parenting journey, so whether you’re expecting your first or are a veteran parent, there’s something for everyone.

For ease of reading, we’ve split them into two categories: general (but life-changing!) parenting books and those specific to age and gender.

PARENTING BOOKS FOR ALL STAGES

1. The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind: The authors provide 12 innovative strategies for raising calmer, happier children based on the development of their brains from infants to adults. If you’ve ever experienced a toddler meltdown of epic proportions or had a door slammed in your face by your teen, this is a must-read!

2. How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk: As the title goes, we all know how difficult it can be to get kids to listen to us or, as they get older, to talk to us. Say goodbye to repeating yourself unnecessarily, yelling, or even resorting to bribes with the help of this insightful parenting book. Learn how to communicate effectively with your kids, encourage a safe space for them to share things with you, and overcome sibling rivalry, too!

3. Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans: Do you feel overwhelmed by the never-ending to-do lists that come with raising our beautiful creations? You’re not alone! Adopt some of the principles highlighted in this unique take on parenting practices to raise cooperative, self-driven, confident kids!

4. No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind: Discover ways to effectively (and compassionately) turn your kid’s meltdowns into an opportunity to connect. Learn how to work with your child to resolve conflicts, ease fears, and stabilize intense emotions in a peaceful manner that benefits the entire family.

5. Raising Good Humans: A Mindful Guide to Breaking the Cycle of Reactive Parenting and Raising Kind, Confident Kids: As a parent, it’s almost natural to become overwhelmed. Whether we’re rushing out the door to get the kids to school on time, our picky eaters have pushed their vegetables aside for the third night in a row, or we’re on a work call, and the kids have somehow gotten into the pantry (again!), it’s not easy to stay calm!

Raising Good Humans helps us hone into mindful, calming practices so that we can parent with compassion and, in turn, raise resilient, compassionate kids and break unhelpful generational patterns.

6. Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be: The most confusing part about parenting? There are so many ways to do it. All we really want is to raise good, kind people. Dr. Becky, the author of this fantastic parenting gem, shares practical tools to become the parents we truly want to be—and raise emotionally-healthy, resilient kids, too!

She offers her thought-provoking ways to handle everything from separation anxiety to sibling rivalry, managing BIG emotions, maintaining boundaries, and more!

PARENTING BOOKS BY AGE AND GENDER

7. The Simplest Baby Book in the World: The Illustrated, Grab-and-Do Guide for a Healthy, Happy Baby: If you’re a first-time parent with a precious bundle of joy on the way or have been around the block a longggg time ago and looking for a simple refresher, this is the perfect parenting book for you!

It includes guidance on all things “baby,” from feeding to sleep training, prepping the nursery, bath time, leaving the house with your infant, and more! And all in an easy-to-digest format that even the most sleep-deprived parents can understand!

8. Fourteen Talks by Age Fourteen: The Essential Conversations You Need to Have with Your Kids Before They Start High School: As parenting books for tweens go, this is by far one of the best parenting books around. It teaches parents exactly what conversations to have with their middle-schoolers, how to have them, keep kids engaged, and make them comfortable enough to have more. It even outlines suitable times, places, and situations to make the most out of these chats. Total game-changer for parenting tweens!

9. Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood: The parenting tips included in this teen-girl-bible guide parents through the transition of their “little girl” into a full-grown adult woman and all the related complexities of this change. See the world through your teenage daughter’s eyes and bond and connect with her when she needs you most.

10. Decoding Boys: New Science Behind the Subtle Art of Raising Sons: Decode your teenage son’s behavior, mannerisms, and general demeanor. Learn to sensitively broach topics like puberty, consent, social pressures, and screen time/gaming. Feel confident in your ability to raise your “baby boy” into a mature, emotionally strong man.

And that’s a wrap! We sincerely hope you’ve found a few intriguing parenting books to add to your reading list. No matter the stage of parenting you’re currently in, just remember, you’ve got this!

If you’re struggling to fit in date night amidst the craziness of parenting tiny humans, check out our helpful post on how to keep the relationship alive after kids.

Finally, if you’re a closet bookworm, check out this amazing list of books for the whole family to enjoy this summer!

Happy Reading!

The Very Best Questions to Ask Before Marriage

Communication is a HUGE part of success in marriage and can definitely impact a relationship—for better or for worse! We believe one of the best things couples can do to start their marriage off right is to discuss their expectations of marriage before saying, “I do!”

That’s why we created an epic list of 130 questions to ask before marriage! This unique list of marriage questions is designed to help couples get beyond small talk and into meaningful, loving conversations. Let’s take a look!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. To learn more about ’em, click here.

Table of Contents

1. The Very Best Questions to Ask Before Marriage
2. How to Print & Use Marriage Questions
3. Marriage Questions: Our Future Family
4. Marriage Questions: Expectations
5. Marriage Questions: Communication and Conflict
6. Marriage Questions: Our Future Finances
7. Marriage Questions: Intimacy
8. Marriage Questions: Spirituality
9. Marriage Questions: General

When my husband and I were engaged, we lived four hours apart. Being away from my fiance was torturous, but looking back, it was one of our greatest blessings. Living so far from each other forced us to talk and communicate on a whole different level. Rather than snuggle and watch a movie, we would chat on the phone. Those long hours (and it was hours) of talking led to important conversations about the marriage we hoped to have and our expectations of marriage.

During our engagement, we purchased a book called 300 Questions LDS Couples Should Ask Before Marriage. We used these premarital counseling questions to foster lengthy and sometimes unexpected discussions. Our question-based conversations were vital in establishing strong communication skills early in our marriage. It gave us opportunities to share our feelings openly and even talk about some of those uncomfortable topics in a safe way.

With this personal experience as inspiration, I joined forces with the talented Courtney from All Things Bright and Beautiful to create seven beautiful pages filled with questions for any couple to use to get the communication started! Besides being gorgeous, each page is full of tailored questions for an engaged couple regarding

• Family
• Expectations
• Communication & conflict
• Finances
• Intimacy
• Spirituality
• …and more!

These marriage questions are designed to engage both of you in subjects foundational to a strong marriage or help you talk about things you might not have considered.

How to Print & Use Marriage Questions

Because we love you so much, we’ve made it super easy to use these “premarital counseling questions”! First, you can print this list by clicking on the “FREE DOWNLOAD” button at the bottom of this post. To make mine more durable, I placed my pages into a 3-ring binder to form a book. (I think that this will be the perfect engagement gift for my next lucky friend!)

If you don’t have a printer available or don’t feel like printing, we’ve written out all of the questions in each category below. Simply scroll down through this list, and you’ll see the same marriage questions found in the *free* printables.

Once you have your questions printed and/or your phone handy, grab your future spouse and get chatting! You could set up a specific date night for the two of you, or you could do a few questions each day. Got a road trip coming up? Bring this along! There are so many ways you can use these questions to ask before marriage!

Marriage Questions: Our Future Family

These questions to ask before marriage are designed to get you thinking about your future family. What does that family look like? Will it include kids or pets? If so, how will you raise and discipline them? These are essential questions you will need to know before marriage!

1. Do you want to have kids? If yes, how many?

2. How long after getting married would you want to wait to have children?

3. If we were unable to have children naturally, is adoption an option?

4. If we were unable to have kids naturally, are we willing to do fertility treatments?

5. What kind of parent do you want to be?

6. How do you plan to discipline your children?

7. What do you believe is the best method for raising children?

8. Will one of you stay home with the children, or would you use child care?

9. Do you believe higher education is important for your children?

10. Do you anticipate raising our children (a) the same way you were raised (b) completely different from the way you were raised (c) a mixture of both?

11. What family traditions would you like to have in your home?

12. How do you feel about having guns in your home?

13. What is your relationship with your future in-laws?

14. How do you plan to split holidays with each other’s families?

15. How often should you visit in-laws?

16. Do you have any concerns about any of my family members?

17. Do you hope to live close to family or away?

18. What did you admire about the way your mother and father treated each other?

19. Do you want to have pets in your home? If so, what kind?

20. Where do you plan to live?

21. Where do you not want to live?

22. How do you feel about immunizing your children?

Marriage Questions: Expectations

This section of marriage questions is designed to help you and your future spouse express your expectations of marriage. This is so important because, after all, unhappiness and resentment in marriage often stem from unmet expectations. Don’t just expect your spouse to read your mind in this area—communicate!

23. How do you plan to divide up the household chores?

24. Are household duties dependent on the gender of the person?

25. Do you believe a married couple should do everything together?

26. How do you feel about maintaining relationships with other friends?

27. How do you feel about having relationships with friends of the opposite sex?

28. Do you need or want time alone?

29. Once married, do you expect your spouse to express their love daily?

30. What are your expectations for each of your roles in marriage?

31. What do you, as a couple, picture the ideal marriage to be?

32. What type of relationship do you hope your spouse to have with your family?

33. What type of relationship do you hope your spouse to have with your friends?

34. What are your short-term goals?

35. What are your long-term goals?

Marriage Questions: Communication and Conflict

Communication: the sharing of information! How will you share information with one another, and how will your emotions play a part? It is so important to be clear and open with your future spouse when talking about how you will resolve conflicts in your marriage.

36. Do you feel you could communicate with me under any circumstance and about any subject?

37. How do you respond to conflict? Do you avoid it? Does it intimidate you? Do you fight fair? Do you yell? Do you intimidate? Do you withdraw?

38. When there is a dispute in our marriage, how should the conflict get resolved?

39. What, if any, would be cause for a divorce?

40. What is unacceptable in marriage—no matter what?

41. What do you consider “abuse”?

42. How do you communicate love?

43. What makes you feel loved?

44. Do you have a hard time saying sorry?

45. What makes an apology feel sincere to you?

46. How do you express anger?

47. What triggers your anger?

48. How do you expect your spouse to express anger?

49. At what point should mediation be used in a marital conflict?

50. When you are in a bad mood, how would you like me to handle it?

51. Who, if anyone, would be a confidant outside your marriage to talk to about any problems?

52. Who should know about the arguments we have?

53. How do you respond to stress?

54. What helps you destress?

55. How do you respond to grief?

56. What embarrasses you?

Marriage Questions: Our Future Finances

Money is really difficult to talk about. Be open at the beginning of your relationship to help you and your future spouse hopefully avoid financial issues in the future. We have some great resources to help you navigate your finances, such as tackling different spending habits, budgeting tips, best budgeting books, and how to pay off credit card debt.

57. Are you a saver or a spender when it comes to money?

58. How much, combined, will we make annually?

59. Together, how much do you owe in debts?

60. Together, how many assets do we have?

61. What are our financial goals?

62. Who should be in charge of paying the bills?

63. What are your career goals?

64. How do you plan to achieve your career goals?

65. How much time do you spend at work?

66. How much time is too much time to spend at work?

67. How much, combined, do we have in savings?

68. How much do you think we should have in savings?

69. How should money be budgeted in our marriage?

70. Would you want to have joint banking accounts or separate ones?

71. Do you plan to rent or buy?

72. Do you plan to invest in properties, stocks, or bonds?

73. Are you a risk-taker when it comes to investments?

74. When is it acceptable to use credit cards?

75. How often do you use credit cards?

76. What is your credit score like?

77. What is your definition of wealth?

78. How important is money to you?

79. What justifies going into debt?

80. How should we prepare for a financial emergency?

81. How do you feel about creating a budget before we are married?

82. Do you live by a budget now?

83. Do we have health insurance?

84. What are your retirement plans?

85. Do either of us need to pay alimony or child support?

86. Where do you currently spend most of your money? Which items do you view as necessary to have vs. nice to have?

87. Is it important to you to have a certain standard of living?

88. Do you like to gamble?

89. Do you plan to give to charity on a regular basis?

90. What is your work history? Have you been able to maintain a
job for a long period of time?

Marriage Questions: Intimacy

This category is also known as “sex questions to ask before marriage!” These questions are difficult to talk about because it is so personal and, well, private.

However, we believe this list of sex questions to ask before marriage will help promote an open line of communication about sex in your relationship. Listen to one another and commit to being non-judgemental. Your conversation with one another should feel safe and loving.

If pornography is an issue, take a look at these amazing articles to help you navigate it: The Impact of Porn in Your Marriage and Navigating Your Spouse’s Porn Addiction.

91. What are your views on fidelity?

92. What do you consider as “cheating” in a marriage?

93. What does “commitment” mean to you?

94. How do we show love to each other?

95. How often do you expect sexual intimacy?

96. If I were to gain weight, would it affect our sexual relationship?

97. If physical attraction were eliminated, what would be left in our relationship?

98. What are your views on pornography?

99. Do you have a history with pornography?

100. Who should initiate marital intimacy?

101. How often do you think we should say “I love you” to each other?

102. What would you need to feel wanted and needed sexually?

103. What turns you on sexually?

104. What turns you off sexually?

105. What boundaries do you have when it comes to sexual intimacy?

106. How will you deal with one partner wanting it and the other not?

107. How do you feel about showing affection (kissing, holding hands, etc.) in public?

Marriage Questions: Spirituality

Because how you think, how you feel, and how you act is directly related to your beliefs, then your beliefs directly affect your marriage on a daily basis. This is true whether you share a similar belief system or whether you’re in an interfaith marriage. Find out where each of you stands in regard to spirituality with these marriage questions.

108. Is there a certain religion you profess to?

109. Will religion play a part in raising your children?

110. Do you share a common belief? If no, how important are those beliefs to who you are?

111. What do you believe is the purpose of life?

112. Would you support your spouse in their service to their church?

113. Do you believe in prayer? If yes, do you hope to pray together as a couple?

114. Do you expect to go to church each week?

115.Where do want to be married?

116. Is it important who marries us?

117. If your faiths are different, how will you raise your children?

Marriage Questions: General

Here’s a list of questions that didn’t fit into any of the other categories but are just as important! Think of these questions like you’re asking your future spouse “Is there anything else I need to know before we get married?”

118. Why do you want to get married to each other?

119. Why have you chosen me for your future spouse?

120. How long should you be engaged?

121. What are you most worried about in regard to getting married?

122. What are your top priorities in life?

123. Do you have any health problems I should know about?

124. Do you have any psychological problems I should know about?

125. What are your political views?

126. Are there political issues that you are passionate about?

127. Is there anyone opposed to our marriage? If so, why?

128. How important are physical looks to you?

129. Is there anything that I should know about you that I don’t know about you?

130. Do you have any unresolved issues from past relationships?

131. Have you ever been involved in criminal activity? If so, what?

132. Are there any hobbies that you engage in that are time consuming?

Don’t you just love all of these questions? We really feel like these questions to ask before marriage will open up the lines of communication and foster good habits of expressing and fulfilling needs, wants, and expectations in marriage.

And if you loved this list and want even more conversation prompts, take a look at our huge list of conversation starters for couples! Xoxo!

There are many reasons why people sign up to become foster carers and even more can be given for why they continue to do it year after year. The biggest motivation is the desire to make a difference in a child’s life. However, this is far from the only benefit. We looked at the benefits of being a foster carer through the eyes of experienced foster parents and came up with the following list.

A Fulfilling Career

Foster care provides a fulfilling career for many adults. As with any career, initially some aspects might seem daunting, especially the review process. But the fostering agency you sign up with will provide you with all the training you need for the children you will be looking after. You will also receive ongoing support and the chance to interact with other foster families. 

One of the highlights of your fostering career is being able to witness the difference your care has made to the children you have looked after. Looking back and comparing a child to how they were when they first arrived on your doorstep to how they blossomed under your care is one of the great rewards of fostering. 

The process of how to become a foster parent is explained here. If you feel you are suitable for a career in fostering, get in touch with an agency and follow the outlined steps.

Short-term versus Long-term Care

At the start of your fostering career, you will most likely take care of foster children on a short-term basis. This will be for a couple of nights, a few months, or up to two years. Despite the bond that forms between you and the foster child and the growing attachment, you need to be prepared for these arrangements to end when the child either returns to their birth family, is placed with another family for the long-term to age 21 years old or is adopted.  Although sometimes the child may stay with you on a long-term arrangement if everyone agrees.

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Over time, you can choose to have foster care arrangements that last longer than two years, if that suits you. If the child is to remain with you until adulthood, you can allow that bond to grow stronger without the fear of losing the child. This will enable you to inculcate them as members of your family and have a stronger positive effect on their lives.

Lifetime Bonds

You can form a lifelong bond with a child in your care when they are placed with you for the long term. Many foster carers continue to be a part of their foster children’s lives after they have completed their schooling, gotten married, and had children of their own. You may be present when the young adult graduates from university or walk them down the aisle at their wedding. The children you have cared for so well may place you in the role of grandparent to their children, showing how strong these bonds can be.

While not every foster care story ends this way, many children will come back when they are grown up to thank a foster carer for playing a key role in turning their lives around.

Positive Effects on Your Biological Children

Your biological children will experience the joys of sharing with those less fortunate than themselves. They will develop compassion and may go on to express this in their choice of career, sometimes even choosing to become foster parents as adults too. It is likely that your biological children will form strong friendships with the children in your foster care that will deepen the family integration into a true family.

Making an Income

Although this may be seen as a pedestrian reason for entering the world of foster care, it does take money to provide for a child’s daily needs and give them what they need to flourish as they grow and overcome their pasts. Foster agencies pay foster carers well to enable them to focus on foster children in their care, so you can be financially rewarded for doing something you love.

The fostering allowance differs from one agency to the next. Within an agency, there may be differences between standard placements, respite placements, therapeutic fostering, and parent and child placements. Your location may also affect the allowance you receive, for example, foster carers in London may get paid more as they face a higher cost of living. The amount paid may also vary according to the age of the child, a foster child with disabilities, more than one child being fostered, and sibling foster children. You may also get respite leave annually.

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As a foster carer, you will have to file an income tax return as a self-employed person. However, in most cases, your fostering allowance will be completely tax-free  because of the annual tax relief of £18,140, plus weekly tax relief amounts up to £450 per week per child which adds to your tax relief. 

Having a Second Income

Fostering is sometimes a full-time career, but many foster parents do work alongside fostering. You also need to be available for the child when they are home from school or pre-primary school and to attend any meetings, such as with social workers, their school or with contact with the birth family. You should also have good back-up from your close family and friends in case of emergencies that call you away.

If you are part of a couple, you may decide that one of you will stay at home to take care of the foster children placed in your home, if that feels better for your situation. You may agree that the other partner will continue with their current job to bring in an extra income over and above the fostering allowance. This will allow the family to have a higher income to put towards things like holidays abroad. A foster carer who mainly looks after foster children during emergency situations may decide to continue to work and welcome children into their home as needed. Everyone’s situation is different, but you can work and foster if you choose.

What is important in making this decision is to look at what the foster children need and how best to provide that.

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With so many benefits to being a foster carer, it is well-worth looking into.

Experiencing sexual violence can be physically and emotionally tolling. You might feel isolated, ashamed or scared. Trusting someone else or being vulnerable again may feel challenging.

Intimacy after having gone through a traumatic event can feel impossible but it isn’t. It can, however, take time and patience to become trusting once again.

As April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, comes to a close, I wanted to highlight an important part of healing after experiencing sexual violence. I’ve come across information about what to do immediately after sexual assault but not as much about re-entering the world of dating, relationships and sex.

In this article, I’ll share some tips for those who wish to start dating or be intimate—sexually or otherwise—after experiencing sexual violence.

Be Patient With Yourself

After sexual violence, you may not be ready to date or be sexually active for a while and you may feel frustrated. But give yourself time. Instead of feeling pressure to start dating or being intimate right away, you can spend some time getting to know yourself better.

If you’re unsure about dating or exploring intimacy—physical and/or emotional—you can work on trusting again through building connections with friends and family. Emotional intimacy can be felt in any type of relationship, not only with romantic partners.

It’s also OK to spend time with potential partners without romantically or sexually connecting with them right away.

You may feel social pressure, but this shouldn’t be the reason for you to start dating or be sexually active again. Your timeline is just that—yours. Remember, you are healing and know yourself best. If you feel ready, that’s OK. But if you don’t, that’s also OK! You may shift how you feel over time, so pay attention to your instincts.

Healing Isn’t Linear

Even if you do start to become intimate—physically and/or emotionally—with someone and something happens that upsets or reminds you of your assault, this is normal. Sometimes when someone has been through a traumatic event, they can be “triggered” later on, meaning that they can have memories of their trauma, feel frightened or feel like they are re-experiencing the trauma. Simple acts of intimacy may trigger you and you may experience a change in mood even during intimacy you thought you were ready for. But your body and mind are healing and it’s a good idea to pay attention to what they need.

Healing is not linear, meaning it doesn’t follow a set order of steps. It looks different for everyone. Your triggers may not be the same as someone else’s. There is no textbook definition of how you should react. You may also not have post-traumatic responses after experiencing sexual violence.

There is no one correct way to feel or behave after experiencing sexual violence.

Communicate Your Boundaries

Being intimate is about connecting with someone else. When you do meet someone and want to potentially pursue a relationship, it can be helpful, if you’re ready, to share what you need so that you’re comfortable. Whether your relationship with a partner is romantic, sexual or both, you can tell them what may upset you, convey how you may react if triggered and figure out the best way to communicate about this in an ongoing way.

It’s always important to discuss consent and set boundaries. This may feel awkward. But sex and healthy relationships should be about having respect for one another. Check out our communication tool for some tips.

You Are Not Alone

There are many good resources for survivors of sexual violence, including love is respect and RAINN. You may seek professional help like therapy. It can be beneficial to talk to a professional about how to navigate your own healing process.

You’re also not alone. Knowing that can help when you may feel isolated.

Ultimately, intimacy is supposed to be fun and comforting. You deserve to reclaim that and enjoy yourself, in a way that feels right for you.

Do you know that you have a very good chance to meet the girl of your dreams right now? If you are looking for a serious relationship with hot Polish chicks, read this article right now. Don’t miss your chance to chat and flirt with the 6 best beauties from Poland, they are waiting for your first SMS. I made it easy for you to find the perfect hot Polish model who is single and wants a long-term relationship.

🤔 Why it is worth starting dating on matchmaking platforms? Because there are a lot of single girls that are best partners in the search for love exactly on the Internet. It is interesting to know that more than 366 million users on dating sites find relationships now. All they tend to succeed!

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⌚️ Best time to write the first sms to brides	evening time
❣️ Main goals of girls on dating sites	find long-term relationships, get married

✨ Have you registered on a dating site and your eyes run in different directions and you can’t find the one for you to start talking? Don’t worry, here you will meet a beautiful hot Polish woman, who has completed the top of the best brides in recent times. I hasten to please you – they are still alone! And you can win the heart of one of them right now! 👇🏻

1️⃣ Joanna

❤️ Joanna is one of the best Polish brides, she is a versatile person with a broad outlook. The girl loves variety, to learn something new for her, the meaning of life. She works in the field of beauty, is known for fashion, and looks chic. Joanna loves to travel and makes time for her figure. She loves meeting people and discovering their world. Polish lady in search of a partner with whom she could create a strong family. Joanna is looking for a reliable, self-confident man with a good sense of humor and charisma. Get to know her right now!

2️⃣Valeria

❤️ Valeria is a kind, sincere, sensual and romantic girl who is ready to give her love to her chosen one. This hot lady is very active, she uses every minute of her life to good use. The girl loves spontaneous actions and respects men who are ready for exploits for the sake of girls. Valeria dreams of a happy family, she is a caring woman who is ready to give her man warmth and joy. The girl is looking for a brave and reliable partner who would be able to take care of her. It is important for her that a man has a good sense of humor and be romantic. Write Valeria the first SMS!

3️⃣ Emilia

❤️ Emilia is a self-confident hot Polish girl for whom self-development is important. She strives to always look good, speak correctly, and keep her posture. Lady loves to cook, travel, take care of animals, and play sports. For Emilia, career development and the creation of a family are priorities. She is looking for a partner who could love her for who she is. The ideal partner for a Polish baby is a kind sincere man with a big heart, Emilia wants her chosen one to be older than her, experienced guys are more interesting to her.

4️⃣ Alice

❤️ Alice is a positive and optimistic girl who believes that the main thing in life is love in the heart and a beloved person nearby. This top hot Polish girl leads an active lifestyle and never sits still. Alice loves nature, parties, being at home, and watching movies. This Polish mail order bride is looking for a serious relationship and is ready to give her love to her partner. The girl follows her heart and lives as she sees fit, avoiding the stereotypes of society. Alice is looking for a man who will love her and give her care for the rest of her life. The ideal man for her – with a good sense of humor and style. Lady believes that she can find a partner with whom she will build her own world!

5️⃣Marina

❤️ Marina is an honest, sincere, caring girl who is ready to do anything for love. She is an experienced woman who believes that she can find love on a dating site. This sexy Polish woman works as a make-up artist, she is very passionate and proud of her work. The Polish lady knows how to build happy and harmonious relationships. She wants to love and be loved. For a girl, the character is the main thing in her chosen one, she believes that appearance is not important. Marina is looking for a faithful and honest man, next to whom she will be comfortable and warm. The girl is ready to make her partner happy! Go to Marina’s profile and get to know her better. Don’t miss your chance!

6️⃣Ewa

❤️ Ewa is a gentle, kind, energetic, sociable and cheerful Polish lady. The girl appreciates honesty in people and does not tolerate those who are capable of lying. She always tries to help people because she believes that all good things come back. Eva believes that ideal relationships are based on harmony, mutual understanding, and trust. Eva’s heart is open to love. She dreams of finding a worthy chosen one. Important qualities in a man for girl are care, sincerity, and tenderness. The Polish lady wants to give love and also expects it in return. Ewa wants to have a relationship with a serious man who is older than her. For the sake of such a man, she is ready to change her life.

🔥 Why Slavic Women Are So Hot? Review of Sexy Polish Girl

Everyone knows that Polish women hot are considered the most sought-after bride with whom you can build a serious relationship and a happy family. All foreign men hunt them like that. As a psychologist, I have already helped hundreds of single men find love. I can say with confidence that those who once decided to get acquainted with a Slavic girl have the longest relationship with prospects. 🤔 Why are sexy Polish babes so popular among men?

💋 They are self-confident and ambitious. The character of Polish girls attracts guyswith its assertiveness, they have it “with pepper”, with its own special charm. They know how to win the hearts of men, their flirty laughter and charming smile drive you crazy. Girls always get what they want. Next to hot Polish models, any guy will feel like a real man.

💋 They are cute and stylish. All Polish sexy women always look beautiful and well-groomed: light make-up, fashionable hairstyle, pleasant fragrance. All this adorns the hot Polish lady even if she went to the store for bread. These girls watch their appearance and attract men with their beauty.

💋 They know how to flirt with men. They can teach this ability to girls of other nationalities. After all, sexy naked Polish women attract men from all over the world with their charisma and the ability to be alluring queens next to their partners, especially in bed.

💋 They are loyal and hopeful. Polish girls believe that a happy married life until the end of their lives is important. These ladies are responsible, next to them you will never worry about betrayal.

💋 They are kind and caring. Polish girls have big hearts. Such a lady will help you in any situation, support you, and share advice. She will always be on your side, envelop you with caress and care.

💟 How to Attract the Attention of Hot Polish Girls? Top Tricks to Know

If you already had the experience of romantic communication with girls – it is good. Then it will be easier for you to win the heart of a Polish girl. But even here it is important to know how to properly communicate with sexy Polish women. How to make a girl fall in love with you, or at least show mutual sympathy? Effective advice from an expert 👇🏻.

😛 Use humor. Polish women sexy love men with a good sense of humor. Make the girl smile when she makes out with you (if appropriate). You will evoke positive emotions in her subconscious, she will already like you.

😎 Be creative. Girls from Poland appreciate men who have the skill of creative thinking, making your correspondence interesting. For example, send a non-banal first SMS to a girl so that it is intriguing. Send photos, videos, and memes.

🎩 Be mysterious. Let’s sometimes stop communication for a while at an unexpected moment. Disappear from the network so that sexy nude Polish women think that in addition to her, you have your own business. This will make you more interesting to her.

👩‍❤️‍👨 Show the girl your serious intentions. Sexy Polish women tumblr respect purposeful, responsible men who prioritize family and career. Fleetingly, tell the girls that you are not on a dating site for fun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3IkyYlBImE

💌 Conclusion

Polish women sexy – the best ladies for dating. They are sincere, kind, beautiful, caring, and smart. Any man will be happy with them. I hope this article was helpful to you. Among the 6 best Polish girls, you will definitely find the right one for you. There are even more attractive women online. Be confident in yourself – meet her now and start a romantic conversation! I wish you success, and sure you will be able to find happiness and the main – love.

We can help you effortlessly hire and manage expert developers. Our practice-proven process has helped over 300 businesses, including Samsung, Airbus, Nec, Disney, and top startups, build great online products since 2016. Early-stage startups who worked with us have raised over $140M in funding. Our expert developers deliver supportable and maintainable code for companies of all sizes. DevTeam.Space dedicated tech account managers and AI-powered agile process provide you with all the tools, notifications, and performance tracking to ensure ongoing success.

The mobile application generates the fastest route and helps the driver to avoid traffic by using satellite data. MLSDev knows how to start geolocation services and launch them to the market quickly. Our team has already developed a few applications that utilize geolocation technologies.

NIX Expertise in Geolocation Applications

They ensure that our development teams deliver your requirements, furthermore, they provide robust project management support. Once you’ve settled on an application type, start making a list of potential technology options. Start with existing solutions and then add them to your list until you have no new ones left. This list should include off-the-shelf, open-source, and custom solutions. A big part of travelling navigation apps these days is social media sharing.

• You can also search for the easiest way to get there and plan other trips nearby.
• The app tracks and visualizes heart rate and notifies participants to take a survey when it detects them near a hospital.
• While cloud solutions have democratized access to advanced features, it’s the post-launch phase that often determines an app’s success.
• This allows devices to determine a current location with an accuracy of about 60 feet.
• The application logs this information and marks it on the map so there is no need for you to scan it every time you go through this area.

The developers approached this idea of integrating computer graphics into a physical environment. When the app identifies a specific point of interest, it triggers AR elements. Other than objects and text, these elements can include music, animations, and videos.

Challenges for Development

Foursquare allows users to find places to eat, leave feedback, and check-in to a location to meet up with friends. Dating apps will find you a perfect match with a person located nearby. IBeacon and Eddystone are characterized by a high level of accuracy. If you want to know how to create a location-based app for accurate indoor navigation, these two technologies would be a worthy addition to the core functionality. Some retail chains go even further with geo location tracking and provide indoor navigation, which is based on a technology called iBeacon.

An app by Apple, Indoor Survey, allows businesses to create their own indoor maps for Apple Maps. When Papas began her journey with MerryBody, she felt like she was in uncharted waters. Papas, with her app MerryBody, realized the importance of a robust hosting solution.

What to Consider During GPS Tracking Application Development

Being busy is fine, but if you want to make sure you’re getting important things done in a timely manner, prioritize those projects and deadlines. For example, try setting up two buckets of tasks—urgent and not urgent—and schedule time to focus on only one or two of those tasks each day. When your list starts piling up, take time to complete projects with high priority before jumping into ones that will stretch out your timeline. Putting off big-picture items isn’t worth it when it means you’ll fail to get smaller details done in time. If you do store multiple sets of child data within your JSON tree, then you should carefully structure your database to make sure it doesn’t get too complex.

This map should provide instructions to get to the destination point and deliver these instructions in both visual and spoken form. Possessing the title of the best mobile navigation app, Google Maps was downloaded over one billion times. Its closest competitor Waze – widely praised for its design and gamification elements – has a trifle of that at more than 100 million downloads. A Wikitude app is a tool that helps users to view everything from Tweets to reviews of the place at which they are pointing their camera at. Users can get all the useful information for stores, experiences, or features in their area. Google maps and AR navigation has been the hottest topic of discussions since its inception.

How to Make a Navigation App like Google Maps?

This crucial task may be provided by a combination of advanced security protocols and the implementation of security testing measures in your location-based app. This way, your route takes you exactly where you want it to take you. If you have an Android device, check out the Google My Maps app for Android. If you have an iOS device and don’t have access to the desktop web, visit google.com/mymaps from a mobile web browser. Your project team should continue to monitor app performance in the user market. User feedback on app stores and via in-app survey forms helps identify performance issues and functionality limitations.

Run your application, and do a long press on the map to set your destination. When the marker is added to the map, the route is calculated and drawn on the map. In iOS 11, if you wish to access a user’s location, you must include the NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription key within the Info.plist file. For more information location tracking in iOS 11, we recommend watching Apple’s What’s New in Location Technologies video. You’ll need to add MapboxNavigation to your build to use the Mapbox Navigation SDK, map services, and directions services.

Best Practices for Mobile Location-Based App Development

Our team consists of professionals who keep up with the latest technology trends and development tools on the market. Do you remember the last time you asked someone in the street how to get somewhere? We are sure that it was quite a long time ago, and the reason is simple – you have a navigation app on your smartphone. how to create a gps app Moreover, apps with inbuilt navigation functionality are installed on almost every smart device (you must have used Uber at least once, right?). Recently, I’ve taken up android development as a hobby and was looking to develop an application that can find and track a users position using Google Maps.

After its launch, the development of geolocation games became a very popular topic. Very often, these games use geo location tracking to enhance an AR or VR experience. For example, the Fastmall app offers an interactive map integration for shoppers within stores, restrooms, restaurants, and parking spaces.

Technologies Used to Build a GPS App

Use this open source repo of the Hypertrack Live app to build live
location sharing experience within your app within a few hours. HyperTrack Live app helps you share your Live Location with friends
and family through your favorite messaging app when you are on the way
to meet up. Let’s get down to the main steps to follow to develop a location-based app. AR is the integration of audio content and game visuals with a user’s environment in real time. We at Interexy have many years of experience in this area and know how to create a location-based app accurately.

It is widely known that physical and mental health correlate strongly. What many individuals do not realize, however, is how the state of one’s mental health can significantly affect their physical health. The interplay between mental and physical health is complex, from an increased risk for certain illnesses to decreased overall well-being.

Recent research has found a clear connection between mental health and physical health. Studies have shown that individuals with mental illness often have a higher risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and various types of cancer. This is because stress and poor mental health can cause physiological changes in the body that increase one’s risk for such illnesses.

Let’s take a closer look at how mental health can affect physical health.

1. The Link Between Mental and Physical Health

Mental illness can lead to physical illness in a variety of ways. First, individuals struggling with mental health issues may be more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, substance abuse, and a sedentary lifestyle. These habits can increase one’s risk for physical ailments like heart disease or stroke.

In addition, research has found that mental health issues can lead to hormonal imbalances, harming physical health. For example, prolonged stress can lead to an increase in the production of cortisol, which is a hormone associated with obesity. As a renowned psychologist, Robert Sapolsky, once said, “The mind is powerful – it can make us sick or well.” 

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The number of mental health practitioners is on the rise with the realization that mental health is just as important as physical. Aspiring professionals can enroll in a psychology degree online to start a career in mental health. The field is vast and growing, and there are many opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others.

2. How to Maintain Good Mental and Physical Health

Taking care of both your mental and physical health is essential for your overall well-being. Here are some tips to help you stay healthy: 

– Exercise regularly: Regular exercise has been proven to reduce stress, improve sleep, and increase mood. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each day.

– Eat a balanced diet: A healthy diet is important for mental and physical health. Eating fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and unsaturated fats will help provide the vitamins and minerals that your body needs.

– Get enough sleep: Sleep is essential for both mental and physical well-being. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night.

– Take time for yourself: Take regular daily breaks to relax and unwind. Meditation, reading a book, or a warm bath can help you clear your mind and refresh your body.

3. Seeking Professional Help

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If you are struggling with poor mental health, seeking professional help is important. Mental health professionals can provide short- and long-term treatment to help you manage your condition. Cognitive behavioral therapy, talk therapy, and lifestyle changes are all effective ways to improve mental health. 

It is important to remember that mental and physical health are closely intertwined. Taking care of both your mental and physical health can allow you to lead a healthier, happier life. If you are struggling with mental health issues, do not hesitate to ask for help. There is no shame in getting the support you need. 

4. The Benefits of Mental and Physical Health

Mental and physical health is important for overall well-being. Good mental health can help improve your quality of life, reduce stress and anxiety, and increase productivity and focus. Physically, staying healthy can help to reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes, as well as improve energy levels.

Maintaining both mental and physical health is key to your overall wellness. Taking the time to care for yourself can make a world of difference in how you feel. So take the time each day to practice self-care and look after yourself. Your mind and body will thank you! 

5. The effects of poor mental and physical health

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When it comes to both your mental and physical health, the effects of poor care can be severe. Poor mental health can lead to issues such as depression, anxiety, and fatigue. It can also increase your risk of developing physical ailments like heart disease or stroke.

In addition, physical health affects mental health. Your mood and energy levels will be affected if you do not get enough sleep or exercise. This can lead to feeling anxious, depressed, or angry. It is important to recognize when your mental and physical health is not at its best and take steps to address the situation. And if you feel that your mental health is taking a toll, do not hesitate to seek professional help. However you choose to look after yourself, remember that mental and physical health is essential for a healthy, balanced life. 

Also Read: How To Invest In Your Mental And Physical Well Being: 9 Strategies By Experts

6. The importance of self-care

Self-care is a necessary part of maintaining both mental and physical health. Taking the time to rest, relax, and practice self-care can help reduce stress levels, improve moods, and increase productivity. Some simple ways to practice self-care include taking breaks throughout the day, pursuing hobbies, connecting with friends and family, eating healthy meals, getting enough sleep, and exercising.

When it comes to looking after your mental and physical health, self-care is essential. Investing in yourself is the best way to ensure you feel your best. Remember: your mental and physical health is worth taking care of, so take the time each day to practice self-care.

Summary

Mental and physical health are closely intertwined and must be managed to maintain a healthy life. Practicing self-care is essential for looking after your mental and physical health. If you are struggling with mental health issues, it is important to seek professional help. Maintaining mental and physical health is key to overall well-being, so take the time daily to practice self-care. Doing so will help to ensure that you are living your best life.