Blog Posts by BounceBack

What Exactly Are You Staying Together For?

Posted by Demetri Raftopoulos for BounceBack.com

I never understood why two people, unhappy with each other and their relationship, stayed together. It boggled my mind. Well -- up until now. Dig deep enough, you'll find what you are looking for. Talk to an abundance of people and you'll uncover manifold ways the mind works. Be around it and you're indulged.

Ultimately, if you are unhappy there should be no reason to stick around. That's the narrow-minded, one-sided, and trapped in a box way to look at it. If life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, right? If you're unhappy do something about it, right?

Right. But, as is everything else in life, sticking around is situational and relational. You obviously stick around for a reason. Here is a look at three huge reasons why people stick around and stay together.

The Kids

This may very well be the most obvious of the reasons. Kids open up your eyes, giving you a whole different perspective on

How Can You Know For Sure That They Love You?

Posted by Jesse De La Hoz for BounceBack.com

How do you know? I mean, it's not like a clear sign has been handed down from generation to generation, at least not in my family. But how do you, as a person, know? How can you tell someone loves you? Use these 5 subtle clues to know that he or she may have fallen in love with you.

1. You light up my life

Have you noticed every time you enter a room, your special person has an instant smile on their face? Do they continue to talk to you and tell you to hurry back when you are leaving? Don't dismiss this as a honeymoon phase. These could be signs that their feelings for you are stronger than you think.

2. How are you doing?

Does he or she always want to let you know what's going on in their life? One would think that a person would constantly ask how your day is going to show interest. But by them letting you know how their day went, they are including you in what's going on in their life because

How Much Time Does it Take To Heal Your Heart?

Posted by Olga Melman for BounceBack.com

Okay, so you have already broken up with your partner. The tough part is over and it's time to move on! However, you might need some time to heal and reconnect with yourself before the next best thing comes along. Jumping right into the dating pool might be daunting. So the question is how long should you wait before trying something new? Here are some suggestions:

AFTER A FLING

This really depends on the intensity of the fling. For some, the encounter is so strong and deep that it may take a while to get over. Other relationhips are less powerful and meaningful and require less time. Regardless of the nature of the fling, it is best to move on when you are no longer happy with that situation and it no longer fulfills you.

Related: What Can We Learn About Our Failed Relationships?

ONE OR MORE YEARS

If your relationship is no longer functional, it needs to end. From that point, you can assess the damage

Don't Be in a Rush to Find Love

Posted by Madeleine Harrington for BounceBack.com

The race to find a significant other begins at an alarmingly young age. It starts when we first begin to glamorize the image of a wedding, dressing up as brides, fantasizing about locations and the size of our bouquet. We then grow into shy and anxious teenagers, attending dances, shutting our eyes through first kisses, dating before we even understand the word, exposing our vulnerability to someone else before we've even looked in the mirror and showed it to ourselves.

Dating, the embarking on a relationship, has always been closely intertwined with the concept of growing up. When our bodies develop, we are inevitably sexualized and romanticized, believing that the only light at the end of the tunnel is to embark on girlfriend-hood, wifehood, and of course, motherhood. We are ready to be touched, to be taken care of, to become one half of something larger. At least this is what we believe.

The

How Do You Know If You've Gone Too Far?

Posted by Alex Johnson for BounceBack.com

Rules. They are applied in our daily lives constantly. There are rules that are utilized in sports, rules in law, rules that are used in board games and of course, there is the ever popular dating book...The Rules by Ellen Fein & Sherri Schneider, which took the dating world by storm. However, with all of these, "Rules," it got me thinking about the flip-side of things. When it comes to relationships…what are the Cheating Rules?

Below are a few examples of what might or might not constitute as cheating in relationships:

What's Fair Game?

• Innocent flirting to get that free latte at your local coffee shop
• Getting reacquainted with your former flame from high school over Facebook
• Having that, "work wife/husband" at the office
• Going on dates, while seeing someone, even though the relationship hasn't been made official

What Counts?

• Having sex with someone else
• "Sexting"

How to Handle Disrepect

Posted by Elle Cameron for BounceBack.com

Often times, it's the people who we love the most who hurt us the worst. None such a statement could be so true as when applied to those with whom we are romantically involved with. Here's a 5-step plan for responding to a partner's disrespectful words or behavior:

1. Acknowledge that there has been disrespect

When a partner is disrespectful, we may initially be in denial. For a plethora of reasons, whether it's because of embarrassment, deep sadness or utter disbelief, we are inclined to reject the reality of a negative tone or action aimed at us.

Whatever the reason, it's necessary to first be honest about the disrespect. It's helpful to first make a statement of fact (i.e. My husband/wife disrespected me.) followed by an honest emotion about the statement (i.e. His/her words hurt.).

2. Peel back some layers!

Okay, before this sounds like a Dr. Phil moment, peeling back layers of emotion

Breaking Up With the Family Can Be the Hardest Part

Posted by Maggie McGee for BounceBack.com

The answer to this question is like a pair of jeans: one size does not fit all.

After dating someone for an extended period of time, not only do you become integrated into his or her family and vice versa, often spending numerous holidays, vacations, and countless hours together, but you may also develop loving relationships and affections for your partner's loved ones.

Therefore, this question can be very tricky and many factors affect the appropriate reaction to your break up. Knowing your relationship and place within your ex's family is the biggest factor of them all. Other important factors include, how and why the breakup occurred, if there are children involved, and how your ex feels about you continuing the relationship with his or her relatives.

The Amicable Breakup

If your breakup was amicable, then yes it may be okay, but depending. If you and your ex are on "good terms" then it is okay to

So Many Phone Applications to Find Love

Posted by Nicholas Lizardi for BounceBack.com

We all have seen those Match.com and EHarmony commercials. According to Match.com 1 in 5 relationships start on an online dating site. Everyone seems to have a stigma of dating online but according to statisticbrain.com 40 million Americans have tried online dating out of the 54 million single Americans.

Related: Is Online Dating a Must These Days?

Now, with technology we even have dating applications for our phone. Dating is becoming more than just meeting at a bar. With online dating, you can preselect who you meet (no more trying to get away from weird people at bars) and best of all, you can do it from the comfort of anywhere you bring your smart phone. Here's a list of the most popular dating apps in America and some key information about them.

Match.com

Match.com has over 20 million members with a 49/51 male/female ratio (suitable for gay relationships as well). The problem with Match.com is you