How You Can Make Your Relationship Healthier
I’m currently in a happy and healthy relationship, but I haven’t always been. Many (or most) of my relationships before had many unhealthy aspects. I remember previous partners breaking my boundaries and me letting them. I remember always wondering if I was doing the right thing and worrying if the other person liked me. I experienced both "breadcrumbing" and "paperclipping," which are dating phenomenons that essentially entail using another person.
Read full storySigns of an Unhealthy Relationship and Ways to Improve It
One of the scariest aspects of unhealthy relationships is how insidious they can be. The warning signs aren’t always clear-cut or fully abrasive from the start, and they’re often normalized and romanticized, especially in TV and movies. Further, getting out of them can be hard — and sometimes feel almost impossible.
Read full storyWhat "Paperclipping" Is and Helpful Affirmations
As someone who was desperate for a relationship a few years ago, and as someone who was, well, in love with a particular guy, I sure put up with a lot of unhelpful and hurtful behaviors from him.
Read full storyKnowing You Need to Let Your Relationship Go
Two people sit on a bench, looking away from each other.Pixabay/Pexels. I hate quitting. I take too long to quit jobs when the environment is toxic; I take too long to quit relationships in which I’m being mistreated. I fear regret, being judged, and hurting other people.
Read full storySome People Are Facing LGBTQ+ Books Backward in Stores
A screenshot of the viral TikTok where a bookstore owner has to re-face LGBTQ+ books to the front.@thedogearedbook/TikTok. I almost have to laugh at how much effort anti-LGBTQ+ people put into their homophobia and transphobia.
Read full story5 Signs It’s Not Love, It’s Enmeshment — and What to Do About It
Two people are experiencing relationship struggles.Odonata Wellnesscenter/Pexels. Sometimes, managing relationships and ourselves within them can feel like a full-time job. So many kinds of relationships exist, and there’s always new dating slang coming out. We aim to have healthy relationships with our friends, family, potential romantic partners, and even strangers — which can take work.
Read full story12 Signs of an Unhealthy Relationship That May Seem Innocent, but Probably Aren’t
Throughout my childhood and adulthood, I’ve often heard the message to give people the benefit of the doubt. Doing so comes easily to me sometimes, especially when I don’t want to lose a relationship or learn the truth about my idealistic (and unrealistic) view of someone.
Read full story10 FAQs at Eating Disorder Trainings in Chapel Hill, NC
The author is holding a sign saying "I Embody because... every body and everybody deserves love!"Ashley Broadwater (author) For the past three to four years in college, I co-led trainings with Embody Carolina that teach people how to be compassionate and effective allies to those struggling with eating disorders.
Read full story4 Theaters in Georgia With Cheap Movie Specials As Low as $1
A few red and white boxes of movie popcorn.Pixabay/Pexels. The perfectly buttered popcorn, dark atmosphere, air conditioning, and huge screen make trips to the movie theater one of the best outings, especially during the summer. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's missed going over the course of the pandemic! As theaters begin to re-open, you can bet I'll be there at least weekly.
Read full story5 Simple Practices That Completely Changed My Relationships for the Better
A couple is smiling as their faces are right in front of each other.Vera Arsic/Pexels. A few years ago, I found myself crying often, and not only because of the trauma I faced — but more so because my relationships were falling apart.
Read full story"Karen's Little Sister" Came to a Starbucks in California, According to This Barista
You may have heard about Starbucks's baristas' irritation over "secret menu" drinks. These drinks, like the raspberry mojito and the Samoas frappuccino, aren't officially on the menu, but are recipes created by fans online. So, if you walk into a Starbucks and ask for a drink from that "menu," the barista probably won't know what you mean — and will also (understandably) be frustrated by the number of instructions required to make it.
Read full story5 Must-Go Places in Atlanta for the Best "Hotlanta" Trip This Summer
A nighttime photo of the roads and skyscrapers in Atlanta.Nate Hovee/Pexels. I moved to Atlanta over a year ago, and I've found out it's the place to be, both for living and for visiting. I've fallen in love with so many places, my Instagram feed is filled with people taking day trips here, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon.
Read full storyA "Karen" Hit and Gaslighted a Black Woman in a Victoria's Secret in New Jersey
Screenshot taken from the viral video of a Karen attacking a Black woman.@iamlovekills/TikTok. On July 12, @iamlovekills on TikTok posted a now-viral video of a white woman hitting a Black woman then breaking down in Victoria's Secret in Short Hills Mall in Millburn, New Jersey.
Read full story5 Clear Signs Your Relationship Is Becoming Unhealthy, & Affirmations
A couple is fighting, looking away from each other.Vera Arsic/Pexels. Knowing whether a relationship is healthy and if you should stay can be more difficult than expected sometimes. I know firsthand what it’s like to want to stay in a relationship because you're desperate for love, and I know what it’s like to make more excuses for your partner than they deserve.
Read full story4 Fun Exercise Places in Georgia
People rollerblade at a skating rink under dimmed lights.Lukas Schroeder/Unsplash. When I think of the word "exercise," I internally groan a little. It's easy to associate the word with stressful attempts at weight loss and the pressures of diet culture. But what I've really realized lately is how exercise can be fun. Seriously! And Georgia is full of places where you can get your body moving in an enjoyable way without feeling like you're just checking off another to-do item. For information on four exciting options, read ahead.
Read full story6 Signs You're Being “Breadcrumbed” — and What Helps
A woman sits in the dark on a couch and looks at her phone.mikoto.raw/Pexels. Have you ever heard a word for something you experienced, and suddenly everything made sense? You may have sighed peacefully from that validation, or maybe you became more upset. If so, you’re not alone. When I realized I was unhappy in my relationship because it wasn’t a genuine relationship at all, but “breadcrumbing,” I felt those same ways.
Read full story6 Pieces of Relationship Advice for People Struggling With Enmeshment
A couple is disagreeing about something.Ketut Subiyanto/Pexels. Have you ever taken on a parental role as a child? Or defined yourself by your relationship with your significant other? Or, because of a lack of boundaries, felt confused about where you ended and someone else began?
Read full story5 Inspiring LGBTQIA+ Women in N.C. Leading Us to a More Inclusive Future
A rainbow light shines against a woman's face.Barcelos_fotos/Pexels. It’s a great time to celebrate female leaders and the hard work they’re doing in North Carolina. More specifically, I want to shout out some LGBTQIA+ women who have fought for equal rights while experiencing discrimination themselves. The following five women are activists for important issues surrounding gender, sexuality, race, religion, and more. Their work is not only impressive but also inspiring, and I’m thankful for the history they’re changing and the future they’re creating. For more information on these queer women and their incredible efforts, keep reading.
Read full storyI Met "My Person" in Chapel Hill — Here Are 8 Signs You've Found Yours Too
A couple is facing the sunset, holding hands.Ryan Holloway/Unsplash. I've spent way too much time in unhealthy relationships. Men have “breadcrumbed” and “paperclipped” me, and possibly worse than that, those behaviors negatively affected my self-worth and self-image.
Read full storyHow the Mission and Empowerment from Raleigh's Women AdvaNCe Encouraged Moxies Years Later
Four people stand together, holding hands.Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels. Despite the fact the Moxie interns completed their work with Women AdvaNCe a year or more ago, what they gained has stuck with them and influences their gender equity work still today.
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