Let's Talk Self-Worth & Confidence (Page 11)

I read on one of the major search engines about a new social media trend called “Man Crush Monday.” Every Monday, people post about their favorite man crush. When I read it, I thought to myself, “What is wrong with our society?” Man crush was one of the first things Chris Carter and other guys would use as a joke on their radio shows and ESPN. They made jokes about having man crushes and how they wanted to be the...

Reader Question: I'm 47. I contracted psoriasis when I was 37. It really mentally and psychically messed with me. I've never had problems with dating or sex until then. Now I feel like a hermit - afraid to be seen. What should I do? -Rob (Missouri) April Braswell's Answer: Hi Rob, I am not a licensed physician and don't know which of the kinds of psoriasis you have. However, it is a condition which as...

Being unprepared is the number one problem for singles looking for love. What do I mean by this? Being prepared means you have done the personal work to be ready for a relationship. I rode the dating merry-go-round for eight long years. I thought if I just dated enough people, one of my dates would ignite a spark and my search would be over. I suffered many heartbreaks and disappointments. I settled for people I...

“If only there were more people out there who were my type!” Ever caught yourself repeating this line? We all have. It’s a great excuse for why we haven’t met and are not dating the person of our dreams. They just don’t exist. We’d have to believe that in order to just give up, wouldn’t we? Actually...no. You don’t really believe that. I don’t either. I know she’s out there. Part of me believes that until I fix...

How much does size really matter? Apparently, it may be a bigger issue for men. New research published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found many well-endowed men are often embarrassed by their members, while having less size did not deter men with small penises from having sexual confidence. Similar to other forms of body dissatisfaction, the actual size of the penis is often not the issue. "It's an emotional...

Dating takes a lot of resilience and strength to cope with all the good and the bad that comes with it, and our 10 Best Dating Divas handle the good and the bad with grace and poise. The Dating Divas BEST OF Bragging Rights: strengthening marriages one date at a time A large group of lovely...

Failing at anything in life is not that great. It doesn’t make you feel good, and the only thing you want after you’ve failed is to get rid of that bad feeling inside you. But if we never failed, we would never learn anything. This isn’t just about hooking up with women. Sure, failing is necessary for a guy who wants to get better at scoring, but it transcends that. Failing is necessary if you want to accomplish...

I stand in front of the mirror, look into my eyes and repeat my new personal mantra, “I’m a prize. I’m a prize. I’m a prize,” hoping the words will saturate into my being so I can live them, feel them, and breathe them into my experiences dating men. For a long time, my self-worth was super low, and I didn't know how to step out of my insecurities and into my power. I had doormat syndrome. I could catch a guy for a...

Relationships end - it happens a lot. Sometimes seemingly before they get started, they are over. Endings come in all kinds of packages. Some endings are gentle and kind, but most are difficult and deeply painful. Endings can be full of rejection for one woman in the relationship and full of relief for the other woman in the relationship. Endings come through honest discussions or the discovery of a betrayal or an...

Falling in love within four days is the best thing that's ever happened to me. After unsuccessfully dating for eight years, being engaged twice and never getting married, I still gush with excitement and happiness about it. People often ask me how I did it. If you are like me, you are not interested in wasting your time, energy and money on people who are not suited for you. If you are like me, you may even be a bit...

Your ideal partner: Is she a spur of the moment kind of gal, a steady planner or somewhere in between? Is it her laughter, nurturing presence or quirky nature that makes you smile? Would you describe her as an outgoing people's person or as a quieter, more introverted woman? Does she model respect, honesty and kindness? No matter how you would describe your ideal partner, the most important aspect of attracting and...

Reader Question: I'm a bisexual man who is more oriented toward men. I have worked through commitment fears of having the same type of relationship my parents had that led me to attract emotionally unavailable men and women because I was unavailable. Additionally, I recognized internal homophobia in me to the extent that I viewed being partnered with a man as "ewwwww," though I'm truly desirous of such a...

Illinois natives and first cousins Jenny and Melissa McCarthy (yes, they are cousins!) entered Hollywood from opposite sides of the spectrum. Jenny started out by becoming a famous Playboy model and hosting the TV game show “Singled Out” on MTV. Melissa was an unknown actress until her big break came as a brusque and overzealous bridesmaid in “Bridesmaids,” along with her success on the TV show “Mike and...

With the change of seasons, there’s been an increase of singles reactivating their online dating profiles. Even new people (including celebrities) are jumping on the online dating bandwagon. At this time of year, singles feel anxious. Perhaps their summer romance fizzled out, or they just can’t imagine going home for the holidays without having a steady boyfriend of girlfriend in tow. Thoughts of finding someone to...

Since I was a child, I have struggled with feelings of not being worthy, not being enough and not really mattering. It got to the point where I could not understand why I was even put on this earth. I then went through a period after I flourished into a beautiful woman and started to get everything I wanted. I was accepted into a top college. I had plenty of boyfriends, a great job and a full social...

Are you interested in being a man of solid, upstanding character? You should be. These are the kind of men who deserve and attract the kind of women who will make their lives wonderful in the long term, rather than a living hell. If you want to attract a wonderful woman in the long term, you want to be a man who has a solid foundation to his worldview. You need to be a man whose word is his bond. You have to be a...

There are a lot of relationship blogs out there. Most are humorous ones that chronicle weekly dates or endless musings about the bizarre world of online dating. These stories are funny and entertaining, but I longed for more. I wanted comforting dating advice I could relate to when the loneliness started to kick in and it was too late at night to call my friends. So I would turn on my computer with the hopes of...

When a woman experiences personal success, it's not uncommon for the man in her life to feel a bit of resentment, and a new study seeks to better understand how and why this happens. Shigehiro Oishi, a researcher at the University of Virginia, brought several couples together for group exercises where they basically competed with one another for a common goal. The men and women were tested separately, not able to...

One of the things virtually every client going through a divorce tells me is they can't imagine dating. They're not ready to even think about dating. It's not on their radar. It's the last thing on their minds. This thinking often continues post-divorce. I know you're hurt and unsure and the marriage has been a bad experience in one way or another. Maybe it's been a terrible experience. The thing is, you once made...

According to Dove, the soap company, only four percent of women consider themselves beautiful. No wonder most of us are crushed and angry when a man disappears. If a woman can’t view herself as beautiful, it makes sense that she would look to gain a more positive self-image from her man. When a once-interested guy goes MIA, we are left wondering where we went wrong and scouring the Internet for answers to the...

How much time do you need to heal after a breakup or divorce before you start dating again? Everybody is different and no one answer will be right for everyone. This five-question quiz will let you know if you’re ready to start dating again or not. 1. Do you want to date because your ex is? This is what I call the “me too” reason to start dating. It is not a good reason. Just because your ex has chosen to move on...

There are a lot of things out there that will directly affect your success with women. The items on this list are probably the easiest and quickest things you can apply right now in order to get almost instant results. 1. Believe all women are equal. This is probably one of the best things you can EVER do. Think about the least attractive chick you’ve ever banged. Let’s say she was a five (out of 10) and that’s...

Can you relate to the feeling of being completely energized and excited about a great new guy in your life? Maybe you have recently met or have been on several dates and you find yourself wishing you could spend every waking second together. You hate to admit it, but you obsess about his level of contact (Why hasn’t he texted me? Should I text him?), what he is doing and when you are going to see him...

While self-esteem can be impacted by the start or end of a relationship, a new study finds men and women arrive at it in different ways. For the research, which appeared in the journal Psy­cho­log­i­cal Sci­ence, both men and women were surveyed on how self-esteem is influenced under various relationship scenarios. Participants were also asked to imagine their own relationship ending and evaluate how their...

Reader Question: I am a 50-year-old who doesn't know what to do. My partner left a year and a half ago and the grieving is over. My issue is more that I have a disability and am not in the hippest lesbian area. I have been on dating sites and they suck. Social events are great. However, with my multiple sclerosis, I am very unreliable and tend to let my anxiety turn into stress. In addition, I am not able to...

When you think about what’s required to attract an amazing love relationship, what words come to your mind? Is it “sex appeal," “charm” or “allure"? How about “goofball” or “hilarious?” For anyone who’s ever considered what qualities are necessary to attract a partner, having a good sense of humor might not be among the first things you think of, and this is because most of us don’t associate love with levity. We...

BTN? What’s that? “Better Than Nothing!” Is that what your lesbian girlfriend is doing in your life? She’s better than nothing. She’s better than being alone? She’s better than having no sex? She’s better than coming home to an empty house? She’s better than spending Saturday night alone? She’s better than nothing? Yes, lots of lesbians do this. It happens all the time. You go into the relationship because it was...

There is no question that you expect a lot from your partner in a relationship nowadays. You want your girlfriend to be attractive, fit, active, fun, a good communicator, alcohol free or a regular drinker, a traveler or couch potato, younger or older and so many other things! You want her to love your dogs, cats, fish, horses, birds, snakes and other odd living things you’ve collected. She has to understand your...

Single ladies, we may not have ever uttered the words aloud, but we have asked ourselves the question time and time again: "Why can't I find (or keep) a man?" Many of us have come up with the answer: "Because all the good men are taken." Is that REALLY our excuse? If we were being honest with ourselves and took a moment to evaluate our past relationships, many times it was US and not him that caused the relationship...

We all play head games. Some of us just play head games with women we date, but all of us play head games with ourselves. Here are a few of the dating games that lesbians can play: 1. "There are no lesbians to date!" This is normally said emphatically and with emphasis. You’re convinced there are no potential matches around you. That’s a head game, gay girls! 2. "I will never get over her!" Said with a definite...