Tag Archives: life advice

A Guide For Dealing With Casual Racism

Megan ReynoldsMay 22, 2013 //
Race On Mad Men
Dawn on "Mad Men" photo
Teyonah Parris on playing "Mad Men"'s first black employee. Read More »
Can't Date Outside My Race
Dennis doesn't date outside his race because his race won't date him. Read More »
Mindy's Race Jokes
The Mindy Project
"The Mindy Project" makes some squicky jokes about race. Read More »
JUST FYI, DUDES
disapproving ostriches

I am biracial, borne of a Taiwanese mother and American father. My features are decidedly not Caucasian, but hard to pin down to one specific category, a tiny frustration that gets at the heart of humans, because subconsciously, we all live to categorize. I deal with a host of questions pertaining to my background from “What you mixed with, girl?” to the timid “What … background are you?” I will entertain these questions, my response varying on the scale from begrudging to enthusiastic. It’s a conversation that I have a lot, and I’ve come to just suck it up and deal because people do not deal well with ambiguity. To categorize, to separate, to push things into clearly labeled boxes soothes the mind. It sets expectations, dictates how to behave, and prevents you from making statements like the ones I’m about to discuss. Keep reading »

5 Easy Ways To “Win” Any Fight (And Feel Better About Yourself)

Julie GersteinMay 10, 2013 //
Advice I'd Give
Tons of wisdom I'd give you if we were friends. Read More »
More Advice I'd Give
5 more pieces of relationship advice I'd give you. Read More »
Angst Advice
Angsty Celebrity Teens
Ami has advice for these angsty celeb teens. Read More »
Two Women Arm Wrestling

When I was in middle school, I was picked to become a peer mediator. At the time, I was just stoked to get out of classes for two days for program-mandated training, but it ended up being some of the most useful stuff I learned in school. The theory behind peer mediation is that kids benefit from resolving conflicts without the express involvement of authority figures, and without the threat of disciplinary action. I only actually mediated on a few cases when I was in school, but the basic tenets of  mediation theory and conflict-resolution philosophy have always stuck with me.

The key to winning any fight is not to fight at all. But if that’s an impossibility, then try these five tips that will help you successfully navigate — and resolve! — any conflict.

Keep reading »

How To Come Back From Vacation Without Being A Jerk

Lilit MarcusMay 3, 2013 //
Dating A Travel Writer
How to date someone who's always on vacation. Read More »
Travel Tips!
26 travel tips to make any journey better. Read More »
Awesome Travel Apps
These 10 smartphone apps will make your vacation run smoothly. Read More »

We all know the trope: a young college student leaves the country for the first time and then returns home acting the part of a world-weary jetsetting dilettante.

We all also know that that person is annoying.

While there’s nothing wrong with going on an awesome vacation and coming back feeling relaxed and happy, there’s a fine line between wanting to tell your friends how cool it was to deep sea dive in the Indian Ocean and being a humblebragger. Here are some tips to make sure you don’t cross that line. Keep reading »

How To Move Across The Country Without Having A Nervous Breakdown

Winona Dimeo-EdigerMarch 6, 2013 //
Moving In Together?
Talk about these 5 things first! Read More »
Travel Diary: Nashville
Grab your banjo and head to Music City with Winona! Read More »
Traveling Alone
Why one woman prefers to travel the world -- solo. Read More »

So, huge news: my boyfriend Nick and I are moving from Portland to Nashville, Tennessee! Remember when we visited last year and were totally smitten with the city? Well, our lease is up at the end of this month, and we’ve decided it’s the right time to give southern living a try. Neither of us has ever done a major move like this. We are incredibly excited. We are totally terrified. And we are full of questions about everything from packing logistics to saying goodbye to our dear friends, which is why I enlisted my lovely and wise coworker Ami, who is something of a moving expert–to give us some guidance. Read on for our moving Q&A, and please feel free to add your own tips and suggestions in the comments (we’ll take any help we can get!).

Alright, take it away, Ami…
Keep reading »

7 Rules For Dealing With Difficult People

A New ModeFebruary 28, 2013 //

A few things are inevitable in life: death, taxes … and dealing with difficult people. From work to friendships to romantic relationships, difficult interactions can hit us from all angles and can take a heavy toll on us.

A few days ago, I was doing some much needed reorganizing and I found this packet from a class I think I took many moons ago. I can’t remember who taught it, but the packet was filled with amazing and hilarious “rules” for dealing with difficult people. Within these humorous insights are perils of wisdom that can help you keep your cool during an argument or any other trying exchange.

I really wish I could give you the source, but no names were written on the sheet so all I have is the information. I couldn’t keep it all to myself though, so here are some amazing (and I’d even say life-changing) rules for dealing with difficult people: Read more…

16 Tips To Make Your Life Not Suck

Almie RoseJanuary 23, 2013 //
Ask Almie: Love Letter
How not to write one, based on a letter Almie once wrote. Read More »
Advice I'd Give
Tons of wisdom I'd give you if we were friends. Read More »
Ask Almie: Older Men
Almie shows us how to make time with an older guy. Read More »

Ladies, I’ve got some life tips. Cheat codes, even. I don’t know much about life, but what I’ve learned is that blah blah blah “Wonder Years” episode whatever. Let’s just get to it. Here’s what I have to offer… Keep reading »

8 Ways To Handle The Holiday Blues

Winona Dimeo-EdigerNovember 29, 2012 //
Fave Holiday Movies
Our nine fave holiday films -- what are yours? 10 Photos »
Free Ways To Feel Better
12 free, easy ways to improve your mental health! Read More »
Holiday breakup?
sex
Here's your survival guide. Read More »
I feel you, girl.

The bloating of Thanksgiving and the bloodshed of Black Friday are behind us, and now Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s celebrations are ahead of us. It’s the most joyous time of the year, right? You’re ridiculously happy and emotionally stable right now, aren’t you? Not so much? Yeah, me neither. For one thing, we’re down to about three hours of cold, gray daylight every day. Seriously, yesterday I thought I’d pop out for a walk at the reasonable time of 3:45, but it was already so dark I would have needed one of those spelunking headlamps to safely navigate my neighborhood streets. At the risk of sounding like an emo poem I wrote in 7th grade, constant darkness outside is enough to make me feel constantly dark inside.

Whether it’s family drama, bad weather, relationship problems, financial issues, cabin fever, or some crappy combination of all of the above, a lot of people I know are having a rough time right now. How can you navigate the hyper-joyful holiday seasons when you’re not feeling so merry yourself? Well, here are 8 things to try… Keep reading »

The Shy Girl’s Guide To Confidence

College CandyOctober 26, 2012 //

As a shy and insecure girl, I know that those traits have totally hindered me. Combined with an acute case of social anxiety, they made my adolescence and most of my college years a horrific blur of self doubt and thwarted potential – from missing out on friendships to not applying to the colleges I really wanted to go to for fear of rejection and/or starting my life from scratch. While being terrified to order in restaurants or raise my hand in class were definitely impediments, my social life suffered the most. I always sucked at making friends – I never thought I was worthy of the company of the girls I admired and that stopped me from pursuing or encouraging overtures. Even after finally forging platonic bonds, talking to guys always paralyzed me. It was such that the first guy who ever deigned to kiss me drunkenly admitted that he usually found me intimidating and unapproachable.

I didn’t realize that I was coming across this way, and it made me re-evaluate my thoughts and my behavior. Eventually, with time and concerted effort to change my thinking, I started to become more comfortable around dudes, thus increasing the frequency of sexy time occurrences. Gaining confidence can be such a struggle, but you can totally do it. Read more…

Watch This: Three Minutes Of Beautiful Inspiration

Winona Dimeo-EdigerOctober 19, 2012 //
You Are Beautiful
Here are 50 reasons why. Read More »
Beautiful "Imperfections"
What quirks set YOU apart? Read More »
10 Ways To Love Your Body
It's the perfect time to show your bod some love! Read More »
"Express yourself. Often, kindly, and without apology."

Feeling down? Struggling with body image issues? Stuck in a cycle of self criticism? Just generally in need of a potent dose of inspiration? Check out this video, “On Real Beauty,” a collection of gorgeous portraits paired with 10 simple, powerful pieces of advice for the beautiful, unique woman you are. [YouTube via Upworthy]

Travel To-Do List: 7 Trips Every Woman Should Take In Her Lifetime

Winona Dimeo-EdigerSeptember 24, 2012 //
Who Should You Travel With?
The pros and cons of different travel partners. 8 Photos »
Castle Hotels!
Travel like a princess in one of these (affordable!) castle hotels. 9 Photos »
Traveling Alone
Why one woman prefers to travel the world -- solo. Read More »
Let's go!

Travel is good for us. Leaving familiar surroundings pushes us out of our comfort zone, introduces us to new cultures and experiences, and allows us to view the world–and our own life–with a different perspective. Basically, any time you get a chance to travel, take it. As you check things off your travel bucket list, take a gander at this list of seven kinds of trips every woman should take in her lifetime. And tell us: how many have you done so far? Which journey are you most excited for? Keep reading »

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