Americans are rapidly becoming much more upbeat about the economy. Consumer sentiment leapt 13% in the first half of January from December‚ the University of Michigan said Friday. That came on the heels of a sharp rise in December‚ causing the index to surge a combined 29% from November‚ the biggest two-month increase since 1991. The pickup in sentiment was broad-based‚ spanning consumers of different age‚ income‚ education and geography. The recovery in sentiment “is likely to provide...

In the last couple months‚ Americans' sour sentiment has grown a lot sunnier. Why it matters: Since the pandemic‚ U.S. consumers have consistently reported depressed economic sentiment‚ despite that fact that America's economy has staged a better recovery from COVID than the rest of the world's rich nations have. State of play: Starting two months ago‚ America's mood started heading back up. A University of Michigan index that tracks consumer sentiment has surged more than 28% since...

Arguments start to take off when one partner begins to get defensive. So‚ therapist Lauren Consul shared her relationship-saving tip to "stop an argument in its tracks" when one partner goes into self-preservation mode. Lauren Consul is a couples and sex therapist who’s developed a following of nearly 160‚000 people on TikTok and has received over 5.4 million likes. She is an infidelity expert and hosts retreats to help people "survive and thrive" after one partner has strayed."The next time you and your partner are talking‚ and your partner becomes defensive‚ I want you to do this: Pause‚ and say‚ 'I want to understand what happened there. What did you hear me say?'" Consul says in her TikTok video with over 42‚000 views. "This question is key because it does one of two things‚" she continued. "First‚ it can allow for clarification. A lot of times when we've become defensive‚ we've interpreted something our partner has said incorrectly. We've run it through a filter‚ we've told ourselves a story about it‚ it's triggered something... So we're not actually hearing what our partner says‚ and it allows for clarification." @laurenconsul #communicationtools #communicationtools #defensiveness #couplesargument #learnontiktok #cyclebreaker #couplestherapist #relationshiptherapist #marriagecounseling #mytherapistsays #therapytol #tiktoktherapist "The second thing: If your partner did interpret what you said correctly‚ it gives you an opportunity to slow things down and understand what is happening for them and address the underlying issue‚ rather than get caught in a spiral of defensiveness‚" she continued.Consul's advice for stopping arguments before they explode is helpful because it clears up any potential misunderstandings. The key is to remember the tactic in the heat of the moment to prevent things from getting out of hand.This article originally appeared on 3.16.23

It’s pretty safe to say that everyone loves a good love story.There’s a whole genre of music and movies dedicated to the idea of someone being swept off of their feet after circumstances tried to keep them from their true love. Romance novels could single handedly keep public libraries and bookstores afloat. Everyone loves "love" and the story of Betsy and Irv just takes the cake. Betsy Sailor attended Penn State University as a business major‚ which was almost unheard of in 1978 and Irv Pankey attended the university while playing football. The pair’s paths never crossed‚ until an unfortunate incident bonded the two forever.That year‚ Betsy was at home singing and dancing with her refrigerator door as one does when looking for food‚ when she was sexually assaulted at knife point by none other than star Penn State football player‚ Todd Hodne. When Irv heard the evidence against Hodne during the trial‚ he knew he had to do something about it. In fact‚ he was the only one on the team who did.After the assault Betsy moved back on campus‚ and that’s when she met Irv‚ a burly football player who understood what it was like to be outcast. He knocked on her door‚ introduced himself and offered to essentially be her protection as she traversed through campus. The pair were glued at the hip until graduation. Irv went on to play for the LA Rams and Betsy went on to work in human resources. They hadn't spoken since‚ until 44 years later when ESPN decided to cover their unique bond that helped Betsy get through college. Hear directly from Betsy Sailor and Irv Pankey as they discuss their relationship in my recent interview with them (created by director @nicole_noren ): 12/12pic.twitter.com/GmWVIYp38O — Paula Lavigne (@Paula Lavigne) 1651148562 And that's when this already compelling tale became a love story.Irv and Betsy stayed in touch after the documentary was filmed‚ and when ESPN did an update‚ Betsy became emotional while talking about Irv. The two smiled and said they spend as much time together as possible. Irv said “We’re riding off into the sunset. Calling it a day. Peace out! I hope we can enjoy each other’s company for the rest of our lives and just move on‚” He continued “We’re 65 years old. We ain’t got time to be messing around.”If that isn’t a love story to write home about‚ then I don’t know what is. Best wishes Betsy and Irv. You both deserve a lifetime of happiness.This article originally appeared on 04.29.22

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