10 Tips

Many people, especially couples, have expressed their concerns about making new friends because they have relocated, married or fought with old friends. The major impediments to socializing from this random sampling are: fear of rejection, shyness, perceived lack of opportunity and confidence. As a result, many feel stressed when interacting with potential friends—this repels rather than attracts.

While good friends are healthy for us both mentally and physically, many of us tend to make ourselves sick over not having a close friend at the moment. If you want to make new friends, you have to reset your natural rhythm to first be in rhythm with yourself.

For the most part, mothers across the globe have just one day dedicated solely to their hard work: Mother’s Day. I have to tell you I am not big on these one-day wonders. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the focused attention, but I think we should give honor to mothers every day. We should also honor ourselves by creating and maintaining a balanced life, the real meaning of why we celebrate special days like Father’s Day and Mother’s Day in general.

For many couples, it’s common to feel both excited and a little apprehensive at the start of a new school year, especially if your child is attending a new school. Although your child’s jitters will soon pass, preparing for the school year in advance will allow your child to feel more at ease and in control. Use these 10 tips to help them feel more comfortable on their first day.

1. Scout the route. Before school starts, take a walk or drive by the school and let your child see the route you both will be traveling each morning and afternoon.

Whether it’s you or your spouse, one another’s parents, a family member or your own child, sooner or later you will have to make a trip to the hospital. And even though—when that day comes—you will be focused on what’s going on with your loved one, there are still some courtesies that everyone would appreciate you take into consideration. The following are some tips for those of you that are planning to visit your spouse, a friend or family member in the hospital.

Dan travels a lot for work. He basically lives two separate lives—one in hotel rooms and one in his home. When he returns from a trip, he wants to feel appreciated; he wants to feel his wife and kids have missed him and are glad he is back. He wants to feel he still counts as head man in the family. Yet, that often is not what happens because his kids and wife have learned to live without him.

Dan’s story is not different from hundreds of thousands of men who must travel for work. From my experience as a marriage and family therapist, I hear men saying they want to stay connected and relevant with their family, but meshing their two lives is tough.

Making conversation is the key to shining like a Christmas star at the office party. Chatting only with your spouse or your buddies from your department will earn you a lump of coal for a missed opportunity.

When you are stepping outside of your comfort zone and talking with people, you don't see often or know very well, the art of conversation takes a little preparation. Here are a few tips to get ready for the office party or any other event where you're mingling with a mixed crowd:

Pick a theme for your barbeque. Eva Ingvarson, a trend expert from Evite says, "Select a theme and carry it through from decorations to food preparations." By the way, "grilling meat" is not a theme.