Relationship Savvy » Friendship

Relationship recession survival guide

Jennifer — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:38:36 +0000

How to battle money not your honey

(ARA) – Summer is all about spontaneous getaways, romantic interludes and young love, but the current economic condition can take its toll on your relationship. With financial stresses at an all time high, it’s often easy to put your romance on the backburner. In fact, 43 percent of U.S. couples say the recession has caused them to argue more often and primarily about finances, according to a recent survey by PayPal.

“Everyone is looking for ways to cope with the recession — whether it’s dinner on a budget, staying on top of your game at work, or cutting back on travel, and in the midst of trying to find these solutions, relationships are sometimes the first thing that suffers,” says Microsoft senior product manager, Karin Muskopf. “MSN.com put together a recession survival kit that offers our readers simple tips for coping with the stress of the economy, including a special section with tips and tricks on how to keep your relationship fresh and stress-free during the tough times.”

There are also some interesting ways to keep spending to a minimum and fun to a maximum, such as date night ideas for under $15.

* Watching the Sun Set: Like our love lives, it’s easy to overlook the beautiful things that happen around us every day. Watch the sun go down and share kisses under the stars.
Blanket to sit on: $6
Sunglasses: $2/each at your local drugstore
Lemonade: $1/each
Total: $15

* People-watching: Not all dates have to be steamy. Simply spending time together is what dating is all about. Pick a beautiful day to sit on a bench in a park and marvel at the wonders of nature.
Bottle of wine: $8
Plastic cups: $3
Bench: free
Marveling at the wonders of the public: More fun than you think
Total: $11

* Movie Night with Friends: Miss the wild abandon of your college days? Have the gang over for beers and movie — but save the make-out session for later.
Renting “Old School”: $5
Inviting your friends over: free
Going old school and having people throw in beer money at the door: awesome
Going streaking through the quad: optional
Popcorn for 20: $10
Total: $15

Other simple and affordable tips from MSN include:

* Stay on the same team: Remember you are not mad at each other, you are mad at the invisible enemy — money. Expressing disagreement, distress, and anger is part of problem solving. But, there’s healthy confrontation and then there’s kicking someone when he or she is down. Use your fingers for grabbing hands and holding on, not pointing. You’re in this together.

* Withdraw your identity from your bank account: We measure a lot in this society by the wealth a person appears to have. When it feels like the rest of the world is looking down, be the one who keeps your mate’s chin up. Affirm other kinds of success: friendship, parenting, a talent. Everyone needs to hear the words, “I believe in you,” and more so in times of self-doubt.

* Maintain a one-man-down policy with each other: If one is feeling depressed or anxious, the other has to stay up on his or her end of the seesaw.

* Reach out: Let friends and family in on what is going on with you and your financial situation. It will open the door to a flood of support. Admitting you are vulnerable will allow others to let down their own facade of “fine, thank you.”

* Take time out from worry: As with checking accounts, you aren’t always able to put into your relationship what is taken out. It’s hard to afford romance and intimacy when you are consumed by worry. Set aside time for you and your significant other, to enjoy time-out from worry.

* Always kiss each other good night: Don’t let the magic fade with overpowering conversations of the economic downturn, keep the romance alive, and never forget to kiss each other good night.

For additional tips on how to survive the recession, check out the MSN Recession Survival Guide at savings.msn.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Resolved to Get Healthy in 2008? Don’t Forget These Friendship Exercises

Jennifer — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 04:10:39 +0000

If improving your health tops the list of your New Year’s resolutions, you probably already plan to exercise more and eat better. But don’t overlook another important factor in overall well-being – friendship.

Studies show that people with strong relationships and social networks are happier, healthier and more successful. In fact, research by the Gallup Organization indicates that friendship between spouses accounts for 70 percent of satisfaction in a marriage, and friendships at work significantly impact job satisfaction.

“Any plan to improve your health in 2008 should include some work on relationships,” says USA Weekend columnist and relationship expert Dennie Hughes. “Strong friendships are as important to our health as eating right, getting enough sleep and exercising regularly.”

Hughes offers the following advice for building your relationship health in the New Year:

Know Your Friends’ Roles

Like the song says, it’s a good thing to “Get by with a little help from (your) friends.” But, Hughes says, don’t expect all your needs to be fulfilled by one very best bud.

“If you’re like most people, you have multiple friends who serve different roles in your life – from confidante to confidence builder, cheerleader to collaborator. It’s perfectly OK to compartmentalize in this way,” Hughes says. “Depending on one friend to be everything puts a lot of pressure on that person,” she adds. “Look at a friendship for what it is. Know that person’s role in your life and maintain the friendship at the level that you’re both comfortable with.”

Experience the Power of Staying in Touch with Friends

“The mental and emotional boost from interacting with friends is powerful. Staying in touch with an old friend and talking about ‘back in the day’ escapades can remind you that there is more to you than just ‘soccer mom.’ Talking with a new friend who you don’t share a history with gives you a great perspective on how others see you now and the opportunity to change if you don’t like the feedback,” Hughes notes. “Just be sure the friends you choose to keep are as willing as you are to be a positive influence in some aspect: according to a new study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, friends who depend on you to be there for them but don’t give back supportive energy when you need them can cause a 44 percent greater spike in your blood pressure!”

It’s healthy to connect with friends regularly, both old and new, to learn what they’re up to and share what’s going on with you today. As a matter of fact, according to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, connecting with someone from the past you haven’t spoken to in ages – or with someone you just met – offers up great mood-lifting potential.

But success in friendship health requires simple ways for friends to keep up with each other. Web sites like Classmates.com make it easier to stay up to date with friends. Creating a free membership enables you to easily update people on what you’ve been up to, and find friends not only from high school, but also college, work and military affiliations. There are more than 50 million members, so you are likely to find some familiar friends to stay in touch with.

Because Classmates.com isn’t a “dating site,” approaching a person you have something in common with through the site “takes the weirdness out of contacting someone.”

Finally, you can extend your network of friends and strengthen bonds with current friends by trying to get to know your friends’ friends. “I like to host a ‘meet my friends party’,” Hughes says. Invite your friends to a party and ask them to bring along some of their friends whom you don’t already know. Not only do you expand your social network with people you are likely to already have something in common with – your friend’s friends – it’s also interesting to see your friends through someone else’s eyes.

To learn more about relationships, visit www.denniehughes.com. To stay connected with old friends, visit www.classmates.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent