Compassion is best expressed when someone helps others through an act of kindness. Mother Theresa is the personification of compassion. Her charitable works are known all over the world, saving thousands of lives from suffering. And if you are one of those who are touched by her compassion, and wants to be like her, then here are some ways to show an act of compassion to others:

* Share your blessings to others, especially those who are in need – If you just make take a second look at the street, you’d notice that there are plenty of people who are needing your help. These are the homeless, who find shelter in the middle of the cold street and get their food from the ones that we throw in the garbage can. You may not be able to provide them a proper shelter, but your old clothes and some of your food would be enough to help them.

* Animals need compassion too – Hey hey, compassion is not only given to human beings. Sometimes, these poor creatures are maltreated because they are merely animals, without realizing that they also need our care and concern. So, be compassionate to them as well. Even if they are not as intelligent as humans, they have feelings too.

* Join charitable institutions – There are numerous organizations which aim for the welfare of the people. With this, you can extend your compassion to more people, as there are those who are just like you.

As you express your compassion to people, you will be able to save souls who are in pain and can save their happiness by starting to show them what unconditional love means.

Well, they say that if you have doubts, you better listen to them. And if it’s about cheating, then you better confront your partner about the matter. You surely don’t want to spend the rest of your life with a romantic affair going on behind your back, eh? So you better speak up and confront your spouse. And if he/says no about this, and you still have a nagging suspicion, then you better be a keen observant, for the true answer might lie to his/her behavior.

• Lack of interest in love-making – Of course, when your partner starts seeing someone else, it is most likely that he/she prefers to sleep with his/her date.

• Changes in grooming – Having another affair is just like having a crush on someone back in High School. Your partner wants to keep himself/herself good-looking, making him/her more vain. There can be changes in wardrobe, perfume, and dietary habits.

• Detachment to family activities – Your spouse will have its interest in spending time with his/her new partner, so declining to join your activities with the kids might happen. Furthermore, he/she will be more difficult to reach, as he/she has work meetings and over time.

These are some of the manifestations of cheating. But hey, just because your spouse manifests one of these signs doesn’t mean they are actually cheating. That is why, you should be careful in your observations before arriving in conclusions. Besides, this is your spouse that we are talking about, so you are really the only one who can tell if something fishy is going on.

It’s always been rewarding to see the person you love happy from appreciating what you’re doing for him/her. It can be doing him/her a favor or giving gifts. And speaking of which, it can be more pleasant once the gift is presented in a surprising way. Your dear will love it more because he/she is not expecting anything from you.

People who do this always leave their loved one teary-eyed because of the thought of giving them something in a special way.

Since it’s surprise that we are talking about, there are lots of techniques on how to do it:

When there is an occasion, especially if it’s birthday, pretend that you don’t have anything special to do, that it will be like an ordinary get-together with your friends and family.

Pull a crazy and silly stunt then give your gift after revealing your little acts (or if he/she notices that what your stuff is just an act). This is a very effective one, since your loved one’s mindset is focused on the stunt your pulling. It can be a practical joke, a “scary tactic,” a fight within your group, etc. Then when you notice that he/she is overwhelmed with the situation, reveal the true purpose of your act. No matter how upset, scared, or worried your loved one might be, he/she will certainly appreciate it.

One of the best way to show your loved one how much he/she means to you is to give him/her a gift in an ordinary day. When it is anniversary, birthday, or Christmas, your special one might be expecting a gift, thus it lessens the essence of surprise. On the other hand, when you give something without any occasion, then he/she will feel very happy on that. Remember gifts are way of saying “I love you” or “thank you” to that person, so make sure that you are giving something that expresses it. And with a dab of surprise, he/she will surely feel more joyful.

Huge drops of sweat fall your face. Your mouth is dry, and you are not feeling well because of your headache. Much to your dismay, your muscles tense, your back pain gets worse, and you can no longer sleep because you are afraid something might happen. When you are in this condition, you are without a doubt, experiencing anxiety. Though these physical manifestations don’t necessarily reflect anxiety, there are high possibilities that you are anxious when you are experiencing such for several times. And when this happens, it’s time to make an action before it develops to something worse. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Panic Attacks are two of the possible things that may happen if you don’t take action.

If self-help can no longer treat your anxiety, psychotherapy can be the best solution. Since professionals know how to deal with such problems, they can offer help through various methods. And sometimes, group therapy is establish as a treatment. Medication can also be given to help you cope with anxiety.

It was another day in their campus. She puts her thick eyeglasses, her clothes are the usual ones that she wears. It was a long, black denim skirt, and a tank top with a huge skull at the center, her body piercings brimming at the bright sunlight. Her lipstick is crimson black, and so is her eye shadow and mascara.

She stands out among the crowd, but in a negative way. While the others wear brightly-colored top and cute skirts, hers is pitch-black. For the students, Martha is the personification of a witch, a person who keeps a voodoo doll as her own version of Barbie and reads books of witchcraft as her bible. Of course, none of their judgments are true. Her appearance, though different from the others, is her way of expressing herself. Apparently, no one appreciates her sense of art.

Her eccentric nature triggers her detachment. No one wants to mingle with the so-called witch. None of them wants to share table with her during lunch. Group activities mean individual projects for her. Who would want to team up with this odd girl, anyway?

It’s not like Martha wants this. She is a kind-hearted person who just wants to be true o herself. If a person couldn’t accept her for what she is, then she’d better be aloof. But then again, she craves for companionship, that feeling that there will be someone for you. Nevertheless, her unspoken wish would never be heard…. for Martha is nothing but a dark witch in their class.

If a genie would appear before me and ask for my three wishes, I wouldn’t hesitate to ask him to kill a certain man. Yes, I would definitely spend this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to kill the person I hate the most. Of course I know it’s wrong, it’s even considered a mortal sin. But I am having some exceptions, especially to this person that I can’t even afford to hear his name.

After spending a year of relationship with him, I couldn’t believe how I brought myself to letting him abuse me like that. And now that our relationship is over, the only thing I have for him is anger. This isn’t because of bitterness. Heck, I’d slice my own finger if it were the case. Despite his mistakes, that jerk didn’t even apologize. He tried to win me back by talking sweetly (like I’d fall for that), but didn’t even think of apologizing.

I am not in the state of forgiving him; my anger is just too overwhelming. I became depressed because of his abuse, so I can’t afford to forget what he did. So this is why I want his death. The memory of our relationship pierces me and I want him to feel the same poignant feeling he caused me.

“I’m Anthony.” These were the first words you said to us. Simple as your words were, it didn’t affect me even just a bit, though your presence was as intimidating as your witty deduction of my friends’ characteristics. Because your appearance became stronger than before, my friends expressed their admiration with their jaw open. I, on the other hand, remained still and composed. I had to admit that I was stunned to know that your thinking ability was similar to mine, but that didn’t bother me; if there were another person who could take great actions even at the most complicated times, I didn’t care.

Nevertheless, there was something about you that intrigued me. Certainly, it wasn’t your impressive intellect. It was something else.

Moments later, you gained the trust of my friends. I was happy, though deep down, there was something that stopped my mind from being silent. It was your eyes that kept me from thinking, and when I looked at it, I suddenly found myself in the world of nothingness. It was as though your vacant expression brought me into this world, where I couldn’t even find questions to ask myself. It was just your eyes…. and this empty world that you’re showing me.

The moon shone brightly, and it was at this moment when I realized that I was drawn to your silence. You’re nothing but a person of mystery, Anthony, yet it struck me like a pistol. I never knew how, but my realization showed me that I was happy to be in this vacant world…. as long as it was you who showed it. And little by little, this empty place has turned into something meaningful. Could I be more drawn to your silent and mysterious persona?

I already knew the answer…. but it wasn’t something that I wanted to accept.

No. Not for someone like me, who has tragically lost the person most dear to me.

We never really had interaction Anthony, except those simple glances. It was short, yet it gave me a strong feeling that our emotions were the same. We’re both drawn to each other, like our worlds mirror one another. We should be really close, you know, but we couldn’t accept the simplicity of the situation…. that we held each other dearly. No, not for someone like you, who never experienced what risk felt like.

So I guess we could never be with each other, no matter how much we wish we could be together. Even though our feelings pull us like a strong magnet, we tried to push it away…. because you couldn’t afford to experience pain…. because I couldn’t afford to lose again.

I punch my blood-stained hand at the wall, my teeth gritted with anger. I break my coffee table because I couldn’t understand my girlfriend’s mood swing. And as I lay my eyes on this broken table, I make my wrist soaked with my own blood, as I regret doing it. I starved myself just to save extra dollars for that expensive coffee table, and now that it’s gone, I have no idea what to do next except inflict pain with myself. I just want to release this.

Such action is caused by my aggression. How do I become like this, I have no idea. Except for this idea that was once shared by my smart sister, a psychology-obsessed girl who liked to explain my aggressive behavior based on the principles she learned in school. She told me that according a certain study states that aggression can be triggered by programs that showcase violence (Aronson, Wilson, & Akert, 2005). Being a fanatic of action films, I can’t help but agree to her statement. It may sound too intellectual for a careless brat like me, but I guess my continuous support for programs that show people nailing and killing each other might have caused me to act like this. I do admit that it can easily be reflected when I get mad or when I am stressed. And this time I unconsciously imitate a move from a gangster in a show. He was beating his enemy with all his might. And there I am, doing the same thing he did, only this time, I am not punching a person; it’s my coffee table.

I hugged my knees as I my tears streamed down my face. My small room turned into a space as large as oblivion, and everything around me appeared vacant and still. It was a problem that tortured me. At that moment, I didn’t know what to do, except to hug my knees and and cry.

Being as introvert as I always am, this is the first and the last thing I do when something painful happens to me. I know this burden can be lifted once I shared it to someone, but it is something that I refuse to do. I never know how to deal with it, except to keep it with myself.

On the other hand, I survived such moments thanks to my friends. Their companion is enough to keep me going. Their simple way of affection means that they are here, a sign of friendship that I value most.

There were those days when my friends pat me on my back when they I couldn’t make put my head up. And there were squeezes in my hand to remind me that despite my introvert personality, despite my silence, they could feel my sadness, and that would be their way to show me how much they care.

I once read from a magazine that touch is a form of therapy. And the affection I received from my friends is a fact that supports this statement. I don’t know if I someday, I could directly tell them what i really feel, or find a way to cope with something that hurts me. But, as long as I have their affection, I don’t think I’ll be down and mope for a long time. As I said, their companionship, especially their affection is enough to keep me going.

How can I possibly smile when the person I valued the most left me? It was not like a break-up where I could still get back my girl from a sincere and passionate persuasion. This was loss – something that would not allow me to gain something as its exchange.

I saw my beloved sister died right before my eyes. I saw how a careless drunk driver took her breath and soullessly left her like she was just a damn cat. It was tragic, but she managed to smile as her last memory. I never understood it, and from then on, I never knew what happiness meant. I never even remember the last time I did that gesture on my face. My sister was everything to me. And now that she’s gone, I didn’t know how to move on….

It has been five years and every month, I visited her, with that memory that appeared like a nightmare to me. No matter how much I hated it, I knew I had to live, even when the only thing that I had was solitude. Nothing could bring her back from the grave; even the life of the damned man who took her away wouldn’t be able to do that. At the back of my mind, I knew accepting her death would be the answer for this. On the other hand, it seemed that for someone like me, who hasn’t stopped grieving, would find it the most difficult to do.

Being the kindest person I’ve ever known, my sister never wanted me to visit her with a pathetic look in my face. I knew it was the last thing she wanted to have. So, I, with only a small amount of hope left, struggled to smile before her grave. Besides, loss was quite different from throwing something away. And I was certain that I haven’t thrown her memories. With this, I would have a reason to do that cheerful gesture that I used to forget…. I guess that would be my start.

They say that acceptance would be the hardest thing for someone who has lost the most important thing in his life. It took me five years to cope with the death of my sister, finding acceptance as the toughest challenge in my life. And as I take another time to visit her grave, I finally manage to smile, finally understanding what her smile meant.