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When you ride in an airplane, the stewardess instructs that, in case of emergency, you should put your oxygen mask on first, and then help the person next to you. If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll have a much more difficult time caring for anyone else. Here are some things to keep in mind about your personal wellness as you start your new year.

1. I will find at least one person that I trust. You are bound to encounter some sort of obstacle this year—whether it is with your friends, your parents or your relationship—and you shouldn’t have to deal with it alone. Find someone who will listen without telling me what I should do or telling me that I am wrong. You wouldn’t want a friend to feel alone when he or she is afraid, so show myself the same compassion.
2. Next time I find myself in a heated argument, I will not lose control of my temper. Instead, take a step back and do something to calm yourself down like drink a cold glass of water, take a shower or write down your feelings. When you are ready, revisit the issue with a clear and open mind. 
   

From all of us, happy holidays! We appreciate YOU - our callers, chatters, texters, readers, and online community - so much. Have a wonderful season! We're here if you need us.

So you’ve taken the necessary steps to safely leave your relationship and you’re on the road to moving on, but there’s one thing that seems to be standing in the way: running into your ex everywhere you go. Whether you go to the same school, work in the same building, hang out with the same group of friends or live just down the street from each other, having your former abusive partner in close proximity can be a difficult obstacle to overcome. Read on for some tips on snuffing out the constant reminders of an old flame.

·         If you’ve got the same class schedule…
Sharing the same classroom, or even the hallway, might be more than you can handle at first. If you used to walk to class hand in hand or push your desks together in fifth period, it can be hard to get used to a new routine. Maybe there’s a classmate you’ve wanted to get to know better or a friend who has a class nearby that you can walk with. Changing up your route can be a fun way to distract you from reminiscent thoughts as well as keep you from accidentally bumping into your ex in the hall. If you worry that you will be partnered together for a group project and you don’t feel safe working with your ex, you should be able to talk to your teacher or school counselor about separating you two as much as possible without drawing unnecessary attention to your situation.

We can’t believe how fast this year has gone by. We’re so thankful for the positive response to our new website and the increased communication with our readers on calls, chats and now texts. In the spirit of the Thanksgiving, we wanted to stop for a moment and share what we’re grateful for this year.

• Our callers/chatters
  Asking for help is never an easy thing to do. We want to recognize anyone who has come forward when something didn’t feel right in their relationship. Acknowledging that what you’re experiencing doesn’t feel healthy is the first step to realizing what you deserve in a relationship and what steps need to be taken to get you there.
   

• The friends & strangers who did something
  We also want to extend a huge thanks to anyone who saw something and said something. Whether you stood up for a friend or a stranger, you made a big impact by calling out abuse as wrong. Just by speaking out, you gave someone validation that they deserve to be treated with respect. Thanks for having the courage to be heard.
   

The women of “Teen Mom” appear on tabloid magazines from week to week where the latest gossip about their relationships is revealed to the world. Many people form opinions about these women based on the tabloid stories, but few know the truth. Just like these celebrities, rumors spread around your school, Facebook and Twitter. If you’ve ever had a rumor spread about you, then you know how difficult it can be to overcome the untruthful words. We know that rumors can affect your relationship with your significant other as much as with your peers. Here are some tips on how to handle gossip interfering with your relationship:

When there’s a rumor spreading about your relationship
Whether the rumor is true or not, having everyone talking about you behind your back is never fun. Facebook, Twitter and the hallways at school are all avenues for gossip to spread, so you may feel overwhelmed with trying to stop the rumor. Instead of focusing on how to make the rumor stop, concentrate on things you can control in this situation, like your own wellness. Here are some ways to take care of yourself during a rumor:

Colleges and universities offer all kinds of opportunities for students to speak out about issues they are passionate about and raise money for organizations they support. You’re probably already pioneering the dating violence awareness and prevention movement at your own school, but here are some ideas you might want to add to your semester plans.

Start a Student Organization Student organizations are the best way to get students involved in their campus community. What your organization does is really up to you, but you can choose to hold meetings to discuss what’s happening in your local or university domestic violence movements, organize fundraisers like bake sales or clothing drives to benefit community shelters and have a general positive presence on campus by giving out information in the student common areas or at events to educate students about DV awareness and prevention. Talk to your student involvement or organization department about starting your own club.