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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. 
   

So you’ve taken the necessary steps to safely leave your relationshipand 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.

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:

Whether you’re casually hooking up or have been going out for a while now, setting boundaries is an important part of any relationship so that both individuals are on the same page. To have the healthiest relationship, both partners should know each other’s wants, goals, fears and limits. You should feel comfortable communicating your honest needs to your partner without being afraid of what he or she might do in response. If your partner tells you that your needs are stupid, gets angry with you or goes against what you’re comfortable with, then your partner may not be showing you the respect you deserve.

Talking about your boundaries with your partner is a great way to make sure that both of your needs are being met and that you feel safe in your relationship. Here are some things to think about when setting boundaries in your relationship:

Emotional

A familiar chatter surrounds Rihanna after last week’s premiere of her controversial video for her latest single “We Found Love.” The video opens with a monologue about the difficulty of moving on after a break up. The narrator saying things like “You almost feel ashamed, that someone could be that important - that without them, you feel like nothing,” and “When it’s over and it’s gone, you almost wish that you could have all that bad stuff back so you could have the good.” For the remainder of the video, Rihanna and her music video boyfriend act out the sequence of a romance that quickly spirals from unhealthy behaviors to an abusive relationship. We don’t know what Rihanna was trying to say with this video, but the dizzy, hard-to-watch storyline has viewers questioning its parallel to Rihanna’s former relationship with singer Chris Brown.