Monday, February 28, 2011

What To Do When A Man Won't Open to You





Have you ever just sensed that something was off with your man, but you didn’t know what? Of course, he wouldn’t talk to you about it or tell you. He was just quiet and withdrawn. Trying to figure out what your man is thinking can be maddening. So what can a woman do to avoid a "Withdrawal Response" in the first place? And how can a woman deal with this unfortunately common situation in a healthy way and get back to an open, loving place together?
Step 1: Identify His Triggers
You might notice a pattern to his withdrawal, if you pay close attention. When does your man tend to clam up? Is it when work gets hectic? Is it during rough times financially? Is it when he doesn’t know how to answer you? Your first, and most important step, is getting him to address this for himself if it’s a real and recurring issue.
That way you don’t have to take it on. What helps with this is identifying WHAT it is that triggers his withdrawal response in the first place, and then simply pointing it out to him. When you understand what triggers a man to withdraw, you can avoid being caught off guard or get carried away wondering what's going on. Just knowing more about how and when a man withdraws will keep you and your relationship in a better emotional state.
Step 2: Separate Stimulus from Response
The definition of being OUT OF CONTROL in your life is when you allow anything outside yourself to control your inner emotional state. If you let a man’s emotional state determine how you feel and act…then you’re allowing yourself to become out of control. Sometimes a man’s negative or distant emotional state is not about you. If a man acts distant, but you otherwise have a loving relationship you’re confident about, it might just be that he needs that time to himself to unwind.
If you make the mistake of taking this personally, and make negative meaning out of his emotional state, it’s going to lead to conflict and put you in a REACTIVE mode. On the other hand…if you choose to not take his distance personally, and allow a man some temporary space, something amazing can happen. Knowing that he’s free to take some space, a man will often end up opening up more than he ever has before.
Step 3: Use “Non-Situational Honesty”
It’s up to you to let the man in your life know what your ideal relationship is, and how you want to communicate. Sharing what you value, and what you need to feel good in your relationship, couldn’t be more important. The problem is we often times get into relationships before we ever really discuss or share what it is we REALLY WANT.  Hint: Talking about what you want with a man by continually pointing out how he’s NOT giving you what you want is likely to never help you get to where you want to be.
The best way to create a shift in your relationship, and to open up better communication, starts with a simple tool I call “Non-Situational Honesty.” This is where your communication isn’t coming from the place where you’ve been emotionally “triggered” by something painful or negative, but where you’re simply honest about the positive things you want in the future. If you can remove this “triggered” energy from behind your words, and instead talk about what you DO WANT, rather than WHAT YOU DON’T WANT that isn’t working…you’ll be amazed at the different response you get from a man.
If you want a man to open up…stop, take a deep breath, and visualize the positive outcome you want in your relationship and with your man. If you can do this, everything else will start to fall into place.

Improve Your Sex Life Fast and Safely





Your sex life is one important aspect in your relationship or you married life, and at times, a stale sex life can even can even bring a relationship down. If you want to improve your sex life or make something new to pleasure your partner, you can actually learn a lot with research.
If you want to improve your sex life and please your partner more, you have to firstly think of how you can bring your partner to orgasm. Of course, that is one ingredient on how to have the best sex and how to satisfy your partner. But of course, one can still enjoy sex without orgasm, and this is particularly true to women.
For more details on how you can improve your sex life, here are a few tips and ideas that you might want to explore for you to explore how to give and enjoy the best sex. - Know yours partner's body and be familiar and comfortable with yours as well. Of course, the best sex comes from knowing where to touch your partner and what makes him feel aroused and satisfied during lovemaking.
Different people may have different preferences when it comes to touching and getting turned on, thus you have to think of a way to be able to know where he wants to be touched. This can be a little challenge for a man though, as women are more reserved when it comes to what they want during sex. If you are a man wanting to give the best sex to your woman, you have to be gentle and make the woman comfortable enough to talk to you about what she wants. Of course, this is not just a man's responsibility.
For a woman to enjoy the best sex, she has to learn to be open to her partner when it comes to what she wants. - Learn the art of dirty talking. Dirty talking is indeed one good way to bring your sex life up to the next level. Although this can be a little tricky, as awkward dirty talking can turn off some people, you have to learn and practice to be able to master it.
This can also be a good way to make your partner tell you what she wants - which is useful for women to let their partners know what can satisfy her. If you are a woman who is not so comfortable about telling your partner on how you can be satisfied, dirty talking can be a great way to communicate during sex - but the key is to practice even before blurting out those dirty talks.
Explore new positions every time you make love to your partner. Men in particular, love to have something new to lovemaking, so if you are a woman trying to improve your sex life, you can start by learning and changing positions every time. Of course, adding an element of surprise to your lovemaking can be a turn-on to your man. If you are a man wanting to give the best sex to your partner, learn how you can make your woman reach orgasm.
Sex should not be limited to what you want from your partner but of course, what you can give. You will eventually find out that giving her an orgasm will also please you, boost your ego and of course arouse you as well.

Is Marriage Bad for Your Sex Life?





Wondering what's ailing your once rocking sex life post marriage? It could be the marriage itself. Yes, according to a recent survey, the very fact that they are married can take a toll on a couple's sex life. In the survey, conducted on 3,000 married people, it was found that their sex lives did not remain the same after a few years into the marriage.
Researchers found that though, initially, couples can expect to have sex more than four times a week, after three years of life as man and wife, most couples are lucky to have sex just once every seven days. Up to one third of the married people interviewed admitted that they no longer fancied their partner as much as they did in the early days and a whopping 43 per cent even claimed that their loved one had let themselves go.
It also emerged six out of ten couples believe marriage has completely ruined the excitement of having sex. Under half of all married people said their relationship with their partner is more that of friends than lovers. The poll shows 59 per cent of couples believe their sex life has worsened since marriage because they no longer make an effort with each other any more and a third no longer fancy their partner as much as they did in the early days. Unfortunately, eight in ten couples admitted to being in a sexual rut - having sex at the same time, in the same place and in the same positions every time they sleep together.
In fact, 79 per cent of people are happier getting a good night's sleep than making the effort to have spontaneous sex in the middle of the night. Two thirds of couples blamed their hectic lifestyle for their terrible sex life and 80 per cent claimed they were often too tired to bother about any 'action between the sheets' once the day was over. Seven in ten people also admitted that they might be inclined to make love more often if their partner made more of an effort romantically. "Unfortunately, while you can be deeply in love with someone and want to spend the rest of your life with them, it is also possible to want more from the relationship.
A partner might be supportive, funny, intelligent, and kind, but if they don't inspire confidence in the bedroom, or don't meet expectations sexually, life can be frustrating," a spokesman of the study was quoted saying. Dr Minnu R Bhonsle, psychotherapist and counsellor attributes the decline in couples sex lives to two basic factors - either emotional distancing or physical fatigue. "If it's a case of emotional distancing, it's mainly because of accumulated issues that have remained unresolved. Hence, the partner doesn't feel connected to the other and stops responding to the his/her overtures. As for physical fatigue it could be due to a variety of reasons - fatigue at work, tiredness trying to maintain a balance between work, home and kids.
As a result, fatigue overrides their sex life." "Most young people are seized with a wrong notion that sex life is different from marriage. In reality, sexual relationship is essential and a healthy part of a marriage. Sex needs commitment and connectivity and that is where most young people find themselves lacking the adequate energy or inclination," opines Dr Rajiv Anand, marriage counsellor. According to him, it is not the sexual act that loses novelty or attraction after marriage but the approach of the people involved. So what's the solution?
"If it's a case of physical fatigue, couples should engage in scheduled sex. They must plan weekend getaways or make arrangements to leave the child with a babysitter or relatives and plan a night out where they could probably get home early from work and then just concentrate on spending time with each other. If it's an issue of emotional distancing, communication is the only solution.
Couples need to talk things out with each other in a non-toxic way," says Dr Minnu. Dr Anjali Chhabria, psychiatrist and psychotherapist opines that it is more important to get down to the root cause of the issue than just search for quick fix solutions. "Sex is an important part of marriage and the lack of it could indicate issues in the marriage.
A declining sex life is a symptom, it's just the tip of the iceberg. One needs to find answers to why there is no sex? Is it because there is no chemistry in the relationship or is there no relationship at all? Are the partners too tired or stressed out? Does one partner feel that she or he is no longer attractive to the other? Is one's spouse attracted to someone else? If it's just boredom, couples need to make sex a priority. If they are too tired to have sex at night, do it in the morning. If lack of privacy is the issue, couple need to make time for themselves. Most importantly, couples need to tell each other what they want. Your partner is not a magician to magically figure out your wants and needs," she explains.

Natalie Portman and Her Attitude to Sex Scenes




Natalie Portman feels she has an "immature" attitude to sex scenes. The 29-year-old actress has shot a series of intimate love scenes during her Hollywood career, and her role in new romantic comedy No Strings Attached provides no exception.
The brunette beauty plays Emma Kurtzman in the movie - which also stars Ashton Kutcher - about a guy and a girl who try to keep their relationship strictly physical. Natalie feels she didn't cope too badly with shooting the intimate scenes, but was keen to make sure she appeared in a good light. "I'm pretty immature," she is quoted as saying.
"I get pretty embarrassed easily. For this movie I made a point of checking certain shots to make sure that I felt okay. "There was one of the panties coming off that we did and after I watched I was like, 'Oh, that's not bad,' because it was really quick and it wasn't lingering on anything that I felt modest about."
The talented star finds it amusing how actors are required to make small talk in between the filming of romantic sequences. Natalie always tries to discuss something light-hearted with her leading men in a bid to reduce tension.
"Then you go the opposite direction between takes, like, 'So, what are you doing this weekend?' Like totally benign conversation between to make it a little normal."

Sunday, February 13, 2011

DATING YOUR EX-LOVER - EX-BOYFRIEND, EX-GIRLFRIEND

As often as they are warned against it, sometimes ex’s do get back together. Re-dating someone you have been with before has its share of problems, and can sometimes end in disaster. However, re-dating your ex can mean that you were actually meant to be with one another, and can mean a fresh start for the both of you. Often, time apart shows how much you mean to each other, and rekindling lost love might be just what you need.
Before you decide to re-date your ex, a conversation should take place during which boundaries are set. You cannot simply pretend that this is the first go-round, and issues from your previous breakup(s) need to be addressed. Perhaps both of you have grown in your time apart, and that issue no longer stands between you, but that needs to be established before things get hot and heavy.
It is important to stay away from relationships that are doomed from the beginning. In other words, if you know it can’t work, don’t even head down that road. However, if you feel that a fresh beginning is possible, follow these tips for a more successful relationship.
1. Past is Past. I did say that you need to discuss issues from the past, but once they’ve been addressed, they should be stricken from the record. If you are unable to let go of things that have been said or done with your ex, then the possibility for re-dating goes right out the window. Instead, agree that past is past, and that you are going to move on from a fresh, open-minded perspective.
2. Look for Signs. If you’ve been with your ex before, then you know the signs that things aren’t going the way they should. Although you should not constantly be accusing your ex of behaviors that led to the relationship’s demise, you should also not ignore signs that things are headed asunder. Protecting yourself should be your utmost priority, even if re-dating your ex seems like a good idea.
3. Give the Benefit of the Doubt. In somewhat contradiction to rule #2, it is important to give your ex the benefit of the doubt. It is human nature to be wary when re-dating your ex, but don’t let it rule your new relationship. Instead, be open and honest about concerns, and make sure they are addressed sufficiently before moving on.
4. Be Careful of Fights. All couples argue, whether you are re-dating or not, so don’t expect a smooth ride free of breakers. Sometimes you’ll fight, and this is to be expected, but never throw old arguments into the face of your partner. You might be re-dating your ex, but that doesn’t mean he or she deserves to be punished for sins of the past.