BORED

After moving in with her boyfriend Eric one year ago, following their college graduation, Emily, who is 25 years-old and working as a film editor's assistant, plopped herself down on my couch and complained of boredom. She wondered if she was in the wrong relationship because she didn't feel that spark of excitement anymore when she saw Eric after work.

A new study on play and relationships has found that playfulness may be key to attracting a significant other. Among the survey participants (ages 18-26), three traits stood out as topping their lists of traits they sought in a mate: "sense of humor," "fun-loving," and "playful."

Could your sex life use some new flavors? In their recent survey, Trojan Condoms found that 81 percent of Americans say their sex life needs some spicing up. How do you beat the bedroom blahs?

Here it is. It’s the weekend. Saturday. Are you doing everything that you want to do this weekend? Are you spending it with friends that you really want to spend it with? Are you going to be active—reading, going to the beach, going to the pool, hanging out? Are you doing the things that are most important to you? Or are you doing what a lot of people do: chasing the weekend.

You share a bed, a Netflix queue, and maybe even a puppy. You know each others' friends, families, favorite books and deep-seated fears. It's safe to say you've comfortably settled into a long-term relationship. But has it become a routine where you spend every night at home, or at one of your apartments? Do you miss real dates?

Are your children lost in cyber space? Do they prefer the company of video games and television to the family? Are their only friends on Facebook? Can they day dream and use their imagination to create wonderful games or activities on their own? Do they need someone or something to tell them how to have fun? If so, they need to develop their amazing imagination and think of new ways to solve problems, create possibilities and think their own thoughts. Here are three great ways to plug in imagination

As someone who's in a new relationship, I'm a firm believer in the so-called "honeymoon stage": when every date feels like the first, every kiss gives you butterflies and everything seems perfect. But I've been warned that life after the honeymoon stage isn't always a picnic, especially when it comes to keeping things creative.

Even if you're a masturbation pro, there are still ways to spruce up your technique. Like having sex, there are many ways to masturbate and adding new things to your usual menu of choices is a great way to keep things exciting. Here are some tips, in Honor of National Masturbation Month.

Nine tips for merging cat and boyfriend. Not all women with cats are crazy. Faking cancer... for a dream wedding. How to Pinterest your wedding. Ten ways summer makes sex awesome. Facebook says summer is when you get dumped. The ballad of a single, married mom. Is there such thing as too much comfort when you're dating?

Would you prefer spontaneous or planned dates and sex? I can almost guarantee you are thinking that you want spontaneous. But, I am going to guess that you aren't getting the spontaneity you desire. So here is where the planning comes in to help you CREATE spontaneity. Awhile back I wrote a blog post about one of my favorite weekly activities - Date Day/Night/Time.

My "Stop, Drop, and Roll" technique is my tried and true, all-time favorite method for avoiding Relationship Groundhog Day (the insanity of doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result), which is what we do when we make impulsive, unconscious choices like calling an ex when we know better.

Today's post will explore avoiding boredom, which can set in when we have the same old routines, same old conversations, the same old avoidance of hot topics and generally start taking each others presence for granted. Boredom opens the door to several giant killers of relationship. It can lead to affairs, and it can also throw us right over into the opposite ditch of contempt, as we begin to think we know everything about our spouse and stop actually listening to them.

January and February don't have the happiest reputations, as far as months go. The short days and cold nights, the post-holiday hangover, the fact that summer is such a long time away... This can all take a toll on your relationship if you're not careful. The good news: There are many fun, easy ways to inject some fun into your relationship in the winter and keep from getting bored.

Watch as Experts Matthew and Orna Walters teach you how to keep your relationship new and exciting!

According to a recent study, January is the most depressing month of the year. In fact, a study of 1,000 couples in Britain found that in January, couples fight for more than eight minutes a day and have 20 arguments during the month, compared to about 15 fights in the other months.

You're probably not going to say it, so I will: After awhile sex with the same partner can get a little, well, OLD. I know, I know, it sounds mean, but I don't mean it that way. It's just that once you're with the same person for longer than a couple years, sex can get a little, well, BORING.