You could be looking at a picture and not even realize it is highly edited. Seeing such unrealistic appearances so often can be incredibly damaging to one’s psyche.

Not only have women been bombarded with unwanted comments and criticisms about their looks for ages, but society continues to push those ideals. Everything from school dress codes to the lack of inclusive sizing can lead to low self-esteem and poor body image.

One’s body image is how they see their body and feel about it, regardless of how it actually looks. Sadly, most women do not have a healthy body image.

Diet culture, editing apps, rude comments, and the neverending idea of the “perfect body type” continue this bombardment.

But things are getting better. Many brands once known for their exclusivity have launched inclusive size ranges, feature models of all sizes and shapes, and have even encouraged others to make the same changes.

Seeing yourself reflected in the media you consume daily and the products you spend your money on is so important for your body image. Representation allows people to feel seen, heard, and worthy.

Along with the improvement from brands, there is a growing community online of people in the body-positive community. These people share their progress with loving their bodies and inspiring others to do the same.

Joining this community, no matter your stage of body acceptance and love, can remind you that you are worthy no matter your size or impressions of yourself.

You don’t need to have all great days and feel perfect constantly, but loving your body for all it does for you is a great start.

Improving your body image takes practice as well as dedication. You need to learn how to retrain your thoughts, feelings, and actions surrounding your body image and the bodies of those around you.

By unlearning the incorrect assumptions, you’ve been exposed to all your life regarding diet culture, weight, and size, you can begin to learn the truth.

Speaking with friends and family about your feelings regarding your body image can be a vulnerable but rewarding experience. Bonding with others about each other’s worries and supporting each other in your growth is so important.

At the same time, it is important to avoid negative self-talk. Catch yourself when thinking or speaking about the bodies of others, even celebrities.

Also, advocate for yourself. If someone makes a comment you find rude, unnecessary, or uncomfortable speak up. Let them know you are not taking any comments on your body and would appreciate it if they didn’t comment on others’ bodies around you either. Starting these conversations may not be pleasant, but it encourages a much-needed change.

Nurturing your body with everything it needs to function reminds you that your body is your best friend, not your enemy. Eating food you enjoy, moving your body, and getting enough rest are so vital to having a healthy relationship with what you see when you look in the mirror.

Enjoy your body and yourself outside of your appearance. Make a list of the things you love about yourself and add to it.

Step away from social media when it gets overwhelming, or you find yourself comparing yourself to others. There is no shame in unfollowing those that don’t bring you joy.

Find creators that make your feel confident and help your move forward in your journey to self-love. Also, be aware of the editing, lighting, and poses that social media can trick you into thinking are normal. Reminding yourself that these ideals are not realistic or even healthy can help you stay on the right path.

Finally, take care of yourself. Do things you enjoy. Take time to care for yourself because you deserve it.

For some of us, spending so much time at home this year made us realize we don’t actually know the members of our own neighborhood very well. While the pandemic made it difficult to connect with the person next door for safety reasons, as restrictions lift, it’s the perfect time to start learning more about your community.
Not sure how to go about meeting people in your town? We’ve got some tips for you!

Organize a Backyard Cookout
You’re ready to get back to having a social life, and chances are, your neighborhood is, too! Why not organize a community cookout? Whether you decide to fire up the grill or host a potluck dinner in your backyard, food is always a sure way to get people together. Have fun creating invitations for your neighbors and spend an afternoon going door-to-door delivering them with your family. Keep in mind any gathering restrictions currently in place for your area.

Start a Volunteer Team
Do you have a park, river, or other community-shared area near your home? Start a cleanup day initiative in your neighborhood. You can reach out to neighbors and invite them to join you. If the thought of knocking on your neighbor’s door unexpectedly is a bit intimidating for you, do the first cleanup day alone or with a friend. It’s true what they say about kindness being contagious. You’ll likely have people coming up to you to ask you how they can start volunteering, too! You’ll have a neighborhood cleanup team before you know it.

Offer to Help a Neighbor
Are there any elderly neighbors in your area? If so, they may appreciate a little help with yard work, or even something as simple as taking their trash can to the road for the collectors. Similarly, if there’s a single parent nearby, they will likely be thrilled if you ask to help them with a task like mowing the lawn or trimming their hedges. The next time you need assistance, you’re likely to have several willing neighbors to help out!

Attend Community Events
This option is the easiest way to socialize. The next time you receive a community event invitation, go! The planning, costs, and work has already been done for you. Whether it’s a community fair, a bake sale, yard sale, town meeting, etc., make a conscious effort to be open to trying something new. You’ll get to meet the people in your town while likely coming away with some delicious baked foods, vintage goods, or other items.
While alone time can great (and healthy), it’s equally important to develop a sense of community. Spend some time getting to know the people around you, and you may find yourself making unexpected connections in the area!

There are plenty of ways to make your wedding both enjoyable and a big production without sacrificing your budget. While notoriously expensive, wedding expenses can be kept to a minimum, keeping you from falling into the trap of charging costs on credit cards.

Consider Your Priorities
Identify you and your partner’s priorities for the wedding. Are you dead set on having every member of your family and friend group present but willing to sacrifice on food expenses? Or do you plan to have an intimate wedding with a smaller number of people but must have a beautiful dance floor and a live band?
Knowing your priorities ahead of time will make it much easier to decide what sacrifices you are willing to make to keep your costs down.

Learn to Say “No”
Families often have the best intentions, and when planning a wedding, it’s not unusual to have suggestions flooding in from both sides. While the ideas are likely great, keep in mind that is impossible to incorporate every person’s suggestion. Learn to say “no” to people when their ideas deviate from your own plans.

It can be difficult to turn down advice from in-laws or your own family members, but giving into every idea (like serving your great-aunt’s favorite expensive wine or using the trendiest caterer in town) will quickly eat through your finances faster than you thought possible.

Be Smart About Your Purchases
Wedding-focused items are often marketed at higher prices than similar items. For example, if you’re decorating with strings of clear lights, don’t focus on buying only ones labelled “wedding lights.” Instead, think creatively and consider cheaper, traditional Christmas or patio lights.

Likewise, reuse whenever possible. Places like Facebook Marketplace are great for finding used wedding items. You can even search by color to find available items in your color scheme. Things like tablecloths, artificial flowers, and wedding arches were likely used for only a few hours. You’ll save money and support the environment by reusing virtually brand-new items.

Share the Expenses
Do you have a set of friends that are getting married within the same timeframe? Consider saving money by splitting the costs of wedding decorations. Decorate stones, centerpieces, chair sashes, table runners, cookware, etc. can likely be used multiple times. Split the cost with the other couple and pay half of what you would otherwise.

Conclusion
Keep in mind that the perfect marriage is just as likely to start with a simple ceremony at the local courthouse as it is with an extravagant wedding. Ask couples who have been married for decades whether they remember if they chose the higher end napkin rings or not. They won’t. Focus more on the excitement of the day and less about the material items, and you’ll find it easier to stick to your budget.

Consider fostering a pet! Fostering is the perfect way to get to know animals before making a commitment to keep them indefinitely. Whether you choose to foster a fun-loving dog or a fluffy shelter cat, fostering is a great way to help an animal while getting to know an animal.

Benefits of Fostering a Pet
Fostering an animal has an endless list of benefits. From having a companion to experiencing the joy of dog or cat snuggles, fostering is a wonderful experience for most families.

• • You’ll have the opportunity to learn more about animals in general while getting to know what sorts of pets would make good additions to your home.
  • If you already have pets, fostering a shelter animal is the perfect way to see how your current pets would behave when bringing another animal into your household.
  • Most importantly, the foster pet themselves gets to experience a loving home. You can provide a safe, clean, and stable home for the pet for weeks or even months, helping keep the pet out of an overcrowded shelter.

A Few Considerations
Before you foster an animal, consider whether you have enough space in your home for the animal you’re considering. A large dog is going to require a larger home and play area. If you’re in an apartment or townhome, you’ll also want to consider their pet policy in case certain (or all) animals are prohibited. Violating pet policies can lead to fines or even evictions.

Spend some time considering whether you are patient and understanding enough to welcome a dog or cat, even temporarily, into your home. The animals may not be housetrained or litter trained. If a puppy or even older dog is especially lonely or uncomfortable, it’s not unusual for it to chew or tear up items. Additionally, cats not used to being indoors have the potential to claw inside furniture. It’s not unlikely that some of your home items may become damaged from a foster pet, so be sure you are patient enough to deal with this behavior.

Taking the First Step
Think you have what it takes to foster a pet? If you’re ready to learn more and take the first step towards fostering a pet, take a look at agencies that help pair animal lovers with foster pets. Some places you may consider include:

• • PetFinder
  • Petco Foundation
  • ASPCA
  • Local shelters

You never know what will happen when you begin fostering. You may find that you become so attached to the animal, you decide to take them in permanently. On the other hand, you may find that you love providing temporary homes for animals and being part of the process of uniting the animal with a welcoming family. Whichever is the case, you and your foster pet are sure to benefit immensely from the experience!

Establish Boundaries
An essential component of supporting someone while they make a major life change is to realize you are not responsible for the person’s “success” or “failure” at making the change. If you expect to be the saving grace for your partner as they try to kick a nicotine habit, you’re only setting yourself up for a failure of your own.

Recognize that you can make yourself available to the person if they need to talk, or you can help transport them to a support group, but you have no control over the actions that person decides to take. Knowing this ahead of time will help protect your own mental health and keep the expectations of yourself and the other person realistic.

Be a Listening Ear
Often, when any of us are going through a change, we simply want someone to talk to. Being a friend who is willing to listen, even without saying anything, can go a long way when it comes to supporting someone.
While you may take it for granted that the person in your life knows they can come to you in a time of need, they may actually need to hear you say that before approaching you. Remind them that you’re not judging them and are more than willing to listen to their struggles.

Consult Outside Resources
Don’t expect to have the expertise of a professional life coach. Sometimes, being part of a support network means helping the other person get connected with people who do have the expertise. If someone is struggling with an issue like weight loss, they may not have the energy or motivation to seek out friendly nutrition groups.

Doing a little research for your friend or family member (thus saving them the effort) can be helpful. Keep in mind that the person may not choose to pursue any of your suggestions, and that’s okay. When you offer help in a supportive and nonjudgmental manner, that’s what really counts.

Vocalize Your Support
Sometimes, simply telling people we care about them and that we hope they choose healthy habits is all they need to know they’re supported. People may not always take you up on your offer to help in the way you would like, but offering your assistance likely won’t go unappreciated.

Take the time to ask the person how they want you to help them. Providing a safe space for them to verbalize their needs can be lifechanging.

Conclusion
There are plenty of ways you can offer support to a friend or family member who is considering making a major life change. Being sure to keep your own mental health and boundaries in mind as you assist them is essential for both your health and that of the other person.

To All the Boys I Loved Before
If you enjoy romantic movies with a high school setting, this movie is a great choice. Follow the story of Lara Jean as all the letters she wrote for her crushes get out.

The Theory of Everything
This may not be a regular romantic movie, but it will bring you to tears. Based on the real story about Stephen Hawking, this movie is truly inspiring.

Call Me by Your Name
This movie’s setting is absolutely gorgeous, and who doesn’t want to watch Timothée Chalamet in a romantic drama. Besides the excellent cast, the story of this movie is excellent too.

A Star Is Born
If you still haven’t seen this movie starring Lady Gaga and Bradly Cooper, now is the high time. Their fantastic chemistry will blow you away and bring you to tears.

Anna Karenina
You can enjoy this classic in the movie format. Starring Keira Knightly and Jude Law, this movie portrays well what the books were all about.

Moulin Rouge
If you wish you were in Paris, this movie is a must-watch. The story follows a guy who visits the Moulin Rouge and falls in love with the performer. The film is also a musical, which is a huge plus.

About Time
This movie checks all the boxes a romantic film should have. It also contains time travel, which makes the plot great.

The Fault in Our Stars
If you want to cry your eyes out, you should watch this romantic drama. It portrays what being in love while having health issues is like and shows just how strong the relationship between two people can be.

The Notebook
This incredibly romantic movie is worth revisiting. Ryan Gosling is exceptionally charming, and the story never gets old.

Crazy, Stupid, Love
This movie deals with breakups, relationships, and divorce. This romantic comedy will guide you through all the issues men face in modern relationships.

Face Your Fears
It’s hard to make a decision and say goodby to the chapters of your life that aren’t bringing you joy anymore. Whether those are relationships, jobs, or hobbies. We are often stuck in the same place and unable to move forward because the fear leaves us paralyzed. What makes us stay even though we know deep down that we should leave is fear and loyalty.

These completely normal human emotions can leave us stuck in the ever-repeating cycle. The fear of the future makes us stay in the same place and prevents us from moving forward and ending the chapter. We tend to put ourselves down by asking the wrong questions. What if I choose wrong? What if I regret this decision for the rest of my life? Facing the unknown seems like too much of a risk when we feel comfortable staying in the same spot.

The fear of feeling guilt also leaves us feeling stuck. We often feel like we will let someone down if we leave, forgetting to think about ourselves.

Ask Yourself These Questions
To determine whether you should say goodbye and close the chapter or stay, ask yourself these questions:

Does This Situation Bring Me Joy?
Whether this chapter in your life is a job or a relationship, try to figure out whether it is making you happy at the moment. Don’t think about what it used to be like, but rather what it is like at the moment.

Does It Satisfy My Needs?
Try to figure out whether your needs are being met or not. This can significantly influence your decision.

Does It Allow Me to Grow?
Learning new things and growing is incredibly essential. If you are always stuck in the same place, you should end the chapter.

Choose the Right Photos
Choosing good photos for a dating profile is extremely important, as that is what people are going to see first. You want to select the photos that portray you in the best light and tell a story about who you are. For the first photo, choose your favorite photo of yourself, but avoid photoshop. When it comes to other photos, pick pictures of you in your favorite places or favorite moments.

List Your Top Traits
When it comes to dating apps, you need to present yourself in as little words as possible. Your bio can’t be too long. Otherwise, people will get bored. List your top traits and interests in your bio in the order of relevance. Make sure to pick something interesting about you that helps you stand out.

Check Your Grammar
Finding a grammar mistake on someone’s profile can be a huge turnoff. You don’t want to miss the potential partner because of a spelling mistake. Make sure to proofread everything.

Be Honest
Online dating offers you room to cover up some facts about you. However, you shouldn’t do this as it will be harmful in the long run. Instead, aim to be as truthful as possible from your bio, to what you are looking for in a relationship. Being honest will also prevent you from getting into the wrong relationships.

Be Easy to Contact
Starting a conversation with a new person can sometimes be awkward. You can help avoid this phase by giving people something they can ask you to break the ice. Writing sentences like “The best movie of all time is HP, change my mind.” or “I bet you can’t beat me at chess” will offer the other person something to talk about.

Don’t Aim to Look Like Others
You don’t want your profile to look like the average profile on the app. Instead of looking at others and comparing yourself, you should aim for your profile to represent who you are. Try thinking outside the box and adding a few unexpected elements that can draw attention.

What is An Entanglement? 
In the dictionary, an entanglement is defined as “a complicated or compromising relationship or situation.”. Will and Jada described their entanglement as a time when Jada had a relationship with another man while she and Will had separated amicably. But entanglements are often seen similar to affairs as they take one partner away from the other emotionally. An entanglement could refer to many different and unique scenarios regarding relationships. Still, ultimately an entanglement is when you are “involved, entangled with someone else and distracted from your primary relationship.”

Here’s How To Handle An Entanglement 
Choose Your Battles Wisely 
When discussing their entanglement, Will and Jade explained how they initially didn’t address the situation when it was brought to light in the media. They initially felt it wasn’t ‘a battle worth fighting.’ However, they later decided to openly address it once they had dealt with the issue themselves. You should always choose your battles wisely and resolve the situation. If it is worth the conflict or potential damage, you should bring it up and confront it.

Address At The Right Time and Place 
Once you’ve decided the battle is worth fighting, you should choose the right time and place to have a conversation with your partner about the entanglement. Whether you suspect they are entangled with someone else, or you are in an entanglement, you should face up to the reality of the situation as complicated or messy as that might be.

Be Open and Honest 
Although it’s easier said than done, especially when intense emotions are involved, you should always be as open and honest as possible to be able to move forward in your relationship. Try to consider both sides and motives before jumping to any conclusions. Listen to one another to see how you’re able to effectively deal with the entanglement without your relationship potentially breaking down.

How Much Do People Read?
Over a quarter of Americans report not reading a book, even part of a book, in the last year. That’s a pretty large segment of the population that doesn’t read at all. It’s a shame for a country with libraries in the smallest towns, hundreds of thousands of free books online, and a high literacy rate.

More of us do read a little, but not as much as we would like. It’s very easy to get distracted by other things. There are so many movies and podcasts to take up our waking hours. Then there’s social media. Don’t get us started on that.

You may read quite a bit but only small pieces; news, headlines, texts, and short articles. That’s not bad, but not really what we mean by reading. By reading we mean, long duration, focused, concentrated time with a text.

How to Read More
Ready to tackle at least one extra book a month this year? Read on!

Set a Reading Goal
Set yourself a goal for the month. How many books will you read? How many pages? Proclaim your goal on social media, so you feel accountable. Challenge yourself.

Set a Reading Time
Give yourself a particular time when all you do is read. Turn off the phone, your computer, all your electronic devices. Just before bed is a great time to put aside for this. It helps you wind down and is usually a peaceful time.

Gamify Reading
A lot of our life is gamified. Why not reading, too? Apps like Goodreads let you upload what books you’ve read, create lists, and write reviews and rate books you liked or disliked. You can follow and interact with favorite authors.

You can also challenge a friend to read. It helps if you know you have the pressure of a friend who is reading the same book.

Join a Book Club
There are many book clubs now, so why not join one? It can help if you don’t know exactly what you want to read, and it will keep you motivated since you won’t want to be left out when it’s time to discuss with the group.