Living

Are you in a bad relationship? If so, you should consider the benefits of some alone time. Living single can be a freeing experience that allows you to discover things about yourself you never knew. In fact, there are a lot of reasons that being single is attractive. Plus, being in a bad relationship is pointless since it probably won’t survive in the long run. Why subject yourself to the emotional abuse of a failing relationship?

Being in a bad relationship is a very draining experience. It affects you mentally, physically, emotionally, and sometimes even financially. Your spirit, along with your bank account, can get drained down to zero. You may end up feeling worse than you have ever felt before.

Instead of being in a relationship that makes you unhappy and unhealthy, you should consider a happy, single life. Being single can prepare you for the next relationship, which, hopefully, will be a lot better than the bad one you’re in. Plus, there are plenty of other benefits you will gain from being single. Here are ten reasons that single life is better than staying in a bad relationship.

Ten Reasons Why Living Single Beats Staying With a Poor Partner

1. When you’re single, you’ll have peace of mind.

All the constant fighting in a bad relationship can take a severe toll on your psyche as well as your physical body. A bad relationship puts continuous stress on you. As plenty of doctors will tell you, stress can cause cognitive decline, a decrease in overall health, and can even lead to an early death.

You do not have to deal with your psyche being in turmoil. All it takes is a decision to be by yourself so that you can repair yourself. By choosing a single life, you will have peace of mind and spirit.

2. You can focus on your own goals.

Achieving goals is hard enough as it is. When you must split your focus between your goals and someone else’s goals, that will make your goals even harder to attain. After all, you are only one person.

It may sound selfish to be single so that you won’t have to worry about your significant others’ goals, but it’s not. Before you can help someone else, you must help yourself. Imagine how much stronger your relationship would be if you have already achieved some goals in life, and you and your significant other both have something to bring to the table.

3. No one can hurt you.

When you enter a relationship, you take a risk on love and, unfortunately, a chance of getting your heartbroken. A bad relationship often results in the latter. Being hurt can do severe emotional damage, and it can take a miracle to get over the pain.

Being single shields you from being hurt again. This situation does not mean you should be alone forever. However, you should fly solo for as long as it takes for you to heal. There is nothing wrong with protecting yourself from the pain of a bad relationship and do not let anyone rush you to get over it. Take all the time you need.

4. You can work on loving yourself.

No one is perfect. In a bad relationship, you might feel pressured to be perfect to make things work. You may think that the relationship will improve if you are smarter, prettier, stronger, more prosperous, etc. Dealing with this sense of not being good enough can cause you not to love yourself. In fact, it might even make you hate yourself.

You cannot love someone else until you love yourself first. Being single allows you to rediscover self-love without the feelings of being inadequate for someone else. You will only have to make yourself happy, so it will be easier to love yourself on your own.

5. You’ll be free to go where you want whenever you want.

When you are in a bad relationship, you may feel like you need to leave. However, distance can make a bad relationship even worse. One of the best solutions to this is living single.

When you’re single, you can go wherever you want and stay as long as you want. You can move, travel, or stay right where you are. You do not have to check in with anyone, and you don’t have to consider the effects of your traveling on the relationship. Being free to move around on your terms is much better than being in a bad relationship.

6. You won’t have to compromise.

When you are in a great relationship with someone you love, compromising is tolerable and sometimes even welcomed. In a bad relationship, it can feel like you are giving up a little more of yourself each time. You can begin to feel like you’re never getting what you want or need, or that your feelings don’t matter.

When you are single, the world is your oyster. Your wants and needs come first, and you can fulfill your desires. You can be selfish without, well, being selfish. Living single means that you don’t have to compromise until you meet someone worth you putting them first.

7. You’ll have more space at home.

In the grand scheme of things, having less space in your home due to a relationship isn’t one of the biggest problems you can have. However, if the relationship is a bad one, what’s the point of being unhappy and cramped?

When you’re living single, you have your home all to yourself (unless you live with parents or a roommate). You don’t have to make room for decorations you hate or split up valuable closet space. If you live in a major city where apartments are the size of shoeboxes, this is even more of a reason to be single. Space is a commodity. Don’t sacrifice it for a bad relationship.

8. You’ll be free to meet the right person.

If you’re in a lousy relationship, chances are you’re probably with the wrong person. The right person wouldn’t make you feel so bad. Knowing this, why stay with the wrong person?

It can be hard to stay single and wait for the right person to come along. You’re human, and human nature makes you desire love, bonding, and attraction. However, you don’t want to settle for a bad relationship just to satisfy an instinct.

No matter how hard it is, choose to be single until the right person comes along to fulfill your innate need. After all, you don’t want Mr./Mrs. Right to pass you by because you are taken.

9. Your health will improve.

The first section touched on how a bad relationship can affect your health negatively due to stress. Stress, especially chronic stress, can have devastating health consequences. While stress can come from many areas of your life, a bad relationship is guaranteed to produce a large amount of it. Some health consequences of stress include:

• Headaches
• Anxiety
• Fatigue
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Heart problems

The list doesn’t end there. You can avoid having stress-related health problems from a bad relationship by not being in a bad relationship. Embrace living single. It might save your life.

10. Being in a bad relationship is just not worth it.

No one deserves to constantly be unhappy. This goes for you as well as your significant other. Being in a bad relationship can destroy your self-confidence, your self-worth, and your self-respect. When those things are destroyed, it can be hard to build them back up. It’s just not worth losing yourself to a bad relationship.

Being single allows you to live your life and build yourself up. While some people might look at single life as a lonely life, it’s better than dealing with the sacrifice you’ll make by trying to save a failing relationship. Plus, when you’re single, you can focus on all the right things so that when you get into your next relationship (a good relationship), you have everything you need to make it work.

Final Thoughts on Living Single vs. Staying in a Bad Relationship

There are a lot of bad relationships in the world. In many cases, it’s not because the people are bad, it’s because they aren’t right for each other. No matter what the reason is, it’s just not going to work without you sacrificing yourself.

If you’re in a bad relationship, you should give some serious thought to living single. A failing relationship can take a severe toll on you in the form of physical, mental, or emotional abuse. Choosing to be single over staying in a bad relationship is choosing to love yourself enough to put your well-being first. Doing this also helps the other person in the relationship because they are free to do the same.

Don’t look at living single as a bad thing. It’s an experience of self-discovery. You’ll learn so much about yourself while simultaneously strengthening yourself more than you ever thought possible. When the next relationship comes around, you’ll be ready. And hopefully, it will be a relationship that lasts a lifetime.

How to Find a High-Quality Senior Assisted Living Facility

The negative connotations about senior care are long-lived. The bad actions of a few have cast a negative light on nursing homes and assisted living facilities (ALF).

The truth is that there are award-winning facilities out there to help your aging loved ones. There are over 30,000 ALFs in the United States to choose from. They provide excellent care to more than 800,000 senior citizens.

Read on to learn how to find a high-quality senior assisted living facility. Explore tips and instructions for locating the best home for your loved one.

Perform Internet Research

The internet is your best friend when it comes to finding an ALF. You can perform a Google search and create a list of nearby facilities.

Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of online research is finding ALFs that are conveniently located. You can find a facility that is within driving distance and close enough for routine visits.

You can also read online reviews and customer testimonials. Of course, check the news to see if the facility has a negative press coverage. You can narrow your search by removing ALFs that have poor online reviews.

Request a Tour

There is only so much you can learn from online research. A good photographer can put lipstick on a pig and mask the facility’s true condition. 

The next step is to physically tour the facilities that had positive reviews. Ask representatives at the facility to host a walking tour of the facility’s interior and exterior.

Here, you can ask detailed questions about daily operations. For example, what kind of activities does the facility do with their tenants?

Ask About the Meal Plan

Healthy dining is one of the most important elements of senior care. When you take a tour, ask the staff detailed questions about the dining plan.

You want to learn how many meals are served per day. Also, ensure that there is a wide selection of healthy foods to choose from that promote long-term health. Ask to visit the dining facility and kitchen to make sure that it is kept clean and food is stored properly.

Pricing Information

The more services and amenities provided by the ALF, the higher the cost will be. For starters, you will need to find out if the ALF falls in the family’s budget. 

Also, you certainly want to find out if the assisted living facility accepts your health insurance. This is important because it can offset some of the high costs associated with senior care. 

Lastly, find out when and how payments are taken. Are there any upfront fees for registration? Is payment required in a lump sum or due at the end of each month?

Finding a Quality Senior Assisted Living Facility – A Recap

Your loved one likely took care of you as a child and young adult. Now, it is your turn to help take care of them.

You can do this by finding the best possible ALF. By putting in the time and research, you can ensure that they are treated with love and care.

If you enjoyed this article about finding a quality senior assisted living facility, check out our blog for more great content.

Living with MS: 5 Tips For Dealing With Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an intensely painful neurological condition that affects over 2.3 million people across the globe.

The pain from MS can keep you from doing the things you love the most and spending time with those you care about. But an MS diagnosis doesn’t mean you have to be a shut-in for the rest of your life.

Living with MS gets far easier once you learn how to manage it. Here are five tips to help you start your journey.

1. Educate Yourself

Learning that you have MS can be scary, to say the least. But as the saying goes, knowledge is power.

By learning about the disorder, you can get a better sense of what you can expect. Dive into every (well-sourced) book, article, and journal you can find that deals with MS and soak up as much info as you can.

The good news is that you’re already off to a good start. By reading this article you’re increasing your chances of a happy, healthy life!

2. Stay Cool

Bad news for those who live in a high-temperature area or love the heat: Heat tends to worsen MS symptoms by a considerable amount.

While heat doesn’t bring on any new symptoms, it does heighten the effects of pre-existing issues like fatigue, headaches, and mental fogginess.

Fortunately, heat tends to be easy enough to counteract. Keep your home A/C set to a comfortable temperature and invest in cooling aids like gel packs and light clothing.

3. Lean on Your Professional Support System

You already know that your friends and family care about your well-being. But don’t forget that you have a whole professional network of experts that care about you, too!

Great multiple sclerosis services aim to understand what you’re going through. Your doctors and physical therapists will do their best to ease your pain and provide helpful advice. So don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and give them a call.

4. Do Your Best to Say Active

When your MS is acting up, hitting the gym is the absolute last thing you want to do. Still, research indicates that maintaining an active lifestyle can keep the pain associated with MS at bay.

Go easy on yourself. You don’t need to run a marathon to stay active. A simple walk around the block a few times per week is more than sufficient.

5. Stay Well-Rested

The fatigue that comes with MS is bad enough as it is. But when you consider how MS causes a whole array of sleep issues, it can seem as though there’s no winning.

While you can’t offset all of your fatigue, you can minimize it by taking a few simple steps.

For starters, go to bed and wake up at the same time each night. A regular sleep schedule can improve the overall quality of your rest.

And if you’re struggling with muscle pain, tell your doctor. You may need medication to help relax your muscles.

Final Thoughts on Living With MS

Living with MS can feel downright impossible at times. But don’t give up. By following these five tips, you can improve your quality of life and help keep your MS at bay.

For more helpful lifestyle content, be sure to check back with our blog!

Freelance France: The Freelance Writer’s Guide to Living and Working in France

With nearly 5 million people in France working after emigrating from abroad, many people have taken the world of freelancing as an excuse to go somewhere new. IF you’re one of the many people trying to freelance in France from somewhere else, there are a lot of clever ways to ensure that you do it successfully. Freelancing is hard and doing so from another country takes some know-how.

Here are five things to keep in mine when freelancing in France.

1. Start Paperwork Early

Many people from across the world love the kinds of social benefits, support, and funding that European countries give to all kinds of enterprises. Whether it’s healthcare, small businesses, or the arts, European countries are the vanguard in supporting ideas from other places. However, the two costs of this grand environment of support are the costs paid through taxes and through the bureaucracy.

Your patience and your knowledge of obscure French words will be put to the test when you consider becoming a full-time French freelancer. Acceptance is the first step in dealing with French bureaucracy. The sooner you get started, the easier it’ll be to handle your taxes and other responsibilities of French work life.

If you want to ensure that you don’t get slammed with a huge tax bill at the end of the year, start monthly payments now. If you send the French government a little bit of money each month, you’ll offset your tax bill at the end of the year. And if you overpay, you’ll be returned that money after you file.

Many freelancers work outside of the system because the government can be cold. However, they’ll take note if you’re trying your best. Just know that if they’re asking you to do something, you should do it as soon as possible. Check out this useful guide for pronouncing those difficult bureaucratic terms over the phone.

2. Join a Co-op

France has an auto-entrepreneur setup to help self-employed people to get started. Lots of writers and freelancers start out in this way, but then move on to join a worker’s cooperative. It’s the best way to help ensure you start up your own business properly.

When you’re a freelancer, you are your own business. In many tax schemes, you’re a contractor to the companies you’re writing for or else you’re a temporary worker. You need to know how you’d like to file your taxes at the end of the year.

The best way to do that is to get involved in a worker’s cooperative where you can ask questions to people who are already doing the work.

Paying out ten percent of your earning to a cooperative is typical, but in exchange, they protect you as a writer. They’ll ensure that you get what you’re owed from non-paying clients and they’ll handle all of your accounting. You can get payslips and get a permanent contract, proving you have steady employment.

These services are essential when setting up your life in France or even trying to get your own apartment.

3. Communicate Professionally At All Times

While you might use a personal email or texting for lots of your communication, keep your communication professional at all times. When you use your personal likes for business, you need to know how to shift your tone. If you fail to set the tone right at the start of your communication, you’ll struggle to backpedal into something more professional later.

When you start out as a freelancer, people might not show you the respect you deserve but once you get the hang of it, you’ll make the shift easily. You’ll quickly learn how the French handle their work communication. Much of their contact is very formal, so expect to use proper nouns and professional terminology for everything.

Steer away from slang, any kind of overexcited language, or comments you wouldn’t want to associate with your professional career. You can be casual, so long as you know how to be firm all along the way. You need to keep your initial contacts very formal to ensure that you are taken seriously from the start of your working relationship with someone.

4. Turn Into a Networking Machine

Someone who is good at networking can spin gold out of any situation in a matter of a few conversations. However, for most people who aren’t French natives, becoming a freelance writer in France is a challenge. You don’t have those lifelong connections that other people have or even the connections they make in college.

Send out CVs and make phone calls like there’s no tomorrow, but be sure that you put yourself in the right situations. You need to be places where you’ll find and meet people to work with.

If you’re a parent, you might be able to find a group of parents who are also from where you’re from, interested in socializing. If you don’t mind being in a circle that’s limited to your native tongue, this isn’t so bad. However, if you’re trying to stay sharp with your French, you’ll need to seek out other connections.

Let your friends know if you are able to work as a translator. You can make more connections if you just tell the people in your circle what you’re able to do.

5. Keep an Updated Website

It’s vital to have a good website when you’re out meeting people. Get your URL printed on your card. Include a photo on the front of your site so that people who meet you remember who you are.

Hire a designer if possible to ensure that your site looks great and is translated properly.

Let people know that you’re located in France right now. While it’s nice if people come by to offer you work in New York or London, if you’re not around, it’s just an added frustration.

Freelance in France and Live Your Dreams

As anyone who’s ever lived abroad can tell you, living in another country is much different than visiting. You’ll have a different lifestyle when you freelance in France than if you go there on vacation. Moving somewhere new is hard, but if you have flexible work, you’ll be better off.

To improve the experiences your customers have with you, check out our latest guide.