Blog Posts by BounceBack

Is Reality TV Ruining Our Love Lives?
By Patia Braithwaite for BounceBack.com

Confession: I ADORE reality television and the trashier it is, the more I enjoy it. (Does anyone remember Tila Tequila's show?) That said, as I flip from ABC to E! watching women with tear-stained faces all professing to be "here for love," I have to wonder if this crap is seeping into my own relationships. Am I waiting for a fairy tale moment that may (or may not) come? Do I tend to go for explosive dramatic fights? As I watch these women who claim to want the same things I do, I have to wonder if I'm making some of their mistakes. Is reality television ruining my love life?

Here are a few of my observations:

The illusion of lack: Whether it's 7 strangers picked to live in a house, or 30 girls all battling for that coveted rose, reality television sends the message that good men are hard to find (though trashy women are, apparently everywhere). I'm an avid watcher of trash TV, but the truth is that these shows send

Love or Lust?
By Alysia Stern for BounceBack.com

Love at first sight is a way of summing up the physical and emotional attraction two people have for each other within their first meeting. Love is an extremely strong emotion, sometimes beyond human control. And when you are truly in love you will know it. There have been psychological and scientifically engaging studies about the love at first sight theory. Does it really exist? Or is it just lust and sexual attraction that gives you those butterflies inside?

Related: You Can't Hurry Love

Are you dating your drinking buddy?

By Lindsay Ross for BounceBack.com

It's always a relationship plus when two individuals have similar common interests. Whether it's music, nature, sports, sci-fi or sky diving - it always tends to build a stronger more intimate connection. Sharing a mutual love can help foster the passion between two people. Yet, what if you're discovering your only common interests are happy hours, night caps, and the local watering hole? You may have a problem.

If the following three occurrences are happening in your current relationship, it's a sure sign you are simply dating a drinking companion. A drinking companion is not a suitable partner.

1. You Met As Regulars At Your Favorite Bar

Love can be found anywhere, there is no denying it, but if you have begun to date the guy who sits next to you at happy hour every Tuesday and Thursday, this may lead to problems. If you met one time and continue to see each other outside of the drinking scene that is completely fine. If you were

From Divorce to Millionaire: Are You on Track?
By Suzanne Cramer, Certified Credit Counselor

Divorce takes its toll in many ways; financially speaking, a divorce can be devastating and it's important to make your financial health a priority. Many things will be changing with your finances as you go through your divorce and for years to come.

To better prepare yourself for your future it's important to take steps to save for retirement, emergencies, and goals you may have. Saving is an intricate piece of your financial puzzle and needs to be re-evaluated post divorce.

As a couple you and your ex hopefully had a savings plan in place for retirement, emergencies and future goals, but with divorce, your needs will most likely change. Let's find out if you are financially on track.

Have you figured out what you need to retire?

Many of us haven't, according to the Retirement Confidence Survey, Only about four out of ten of us have tried to calculate what it would take for a comfortable retirement, and one-third

Have you been betrayed? Can you move on?
By Erin Miller for BounceBack.com

We've all been betrayed and wounded by someone we've loved and trusted at some point in our lives. Betrayal can happen in many different types of relationships: work, romantic, family, friend, and each situation is unique to the individual. But in order to pass the trial of rejection and betrayal the answer is always the same: you have to learn to forgive.

Life isn't just about being healthy, happy and wealthy. We need to experience difficult trials to make us disciplined, compassionate and overall stronger. We must face adversity to experience our destiny. Facing adversity is painful, especially experiencing betrayal. Being betrayed stings worse than a slap in the face, and if you pass the test you can move onto the next level. If you allow the root of bitterness to grow inside of you that energy can infect those around you.

Related: Why is Forgiving Someone Who Hurt You So Hard?

3 Tips to Help Pass the Test:

1. Turn

The Signs He's So Wrong May be Seen in the Shoes

Guy de Maupassant had it spot on: clothes make the man. Too often over-looked in that general truism is the literally lowly shoe. Leaving aside that most women's shoes are designed (sadistically?) by men, let's keep our eyes, ladies, on footwear for men.

Another more current observation about the shoe is found in Frank Darabont's masterwork, The Shawshank Redemption, with the narrator positing: "I mean, how often do you look at a man's shoes?!" (The scene, of course, is the pivotal one, where Andy has 'borrowed' the warden's clothes for his escape).

Related: 5 Common Dating Mistakes You Don't Know You're Making

This man, something of a fashionista, is here to advise you ladies to look, closely, at a man's shoes. It may tell you all you need to know about their level of sophistication... and your relationship potential.

Here are 3 indicators that he's not 'made' (see Maupassant aphorism above):

Scenario 1: You're at a

Dating Someone Who's Already Taken?
By Rosie Munger, BounceBack Editorial Staff

Very few people would opt for this situation, but sometimes it just happens. Whether it's someone you've just met and instantly clicked with or someone you've known a long time and have always had feelings for, deciding to become involved in any romantic capacity with someone who is already taken is difficult. You will both be judged by others and, most likely, yourselves, which is even harder to bear.

Let's set aside all judgments for a bit and focus on some difficult truths of dating someone who is not completely "yours." Instead of torturing yourself by wondering what's going to happen or being tough on yourself for entering into the relationship in the first place, look at things a bit more generally to figure out whether you're really cut out for it.

Truth #1: You're not going to be the center of the universe.

If you expect the person to always be available to you, night and day, that is not going to happen. There

Ever seen a movie so bad it's awesome?
By Patia Braithwaite for BounceBack.com

So the worst has happened: you've split up with your longtime love, and your weekends are now filled with cartons of ice cream and bad reality television. While this behavior isn't sustainable for an extended period of time, we've all found ourselves a bit sad and turning to movies for both reassurance and an escape. But when you pop in that DVD or hit the next pick on your Netflix cue, have you ever realized you're watching a movie that's just so bad... it's awesome?

Whether you are looking to get that "great" cry or you want to laugh at other people's pain, these awesomely bad movies help us realize that our horrible reality is, at the very least, better than bad acting, dated wardrobes, or laughable melodrama.

Related: 7 Tips to Reinvent Yourself After Heartbreak

Here are our picks for awesomely bad breakup movies:

Serendipity (2001)

John Cusack & Kate Beckinsale

Sara Smith and Jonathan Trager