Melanie Allen

Austin, Texas

American journalist & happiness expert with bylines on MSN and the AP News Wire. Topics include self-actualization and the quest for a happy life

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Articles

31 Fun and Easy Creative Hobbies to Inject More Joy into Your Life

3 days ago | partnersinfire.com | Melanie Allen

Creative hobbies offer a gateway to happiness. They give us space to be our authentic selves, reduce stress, and help us find our flow – a state of complete mindfulness and engagement. Are you ready to reap all the benefits? It starts with choosing an outlet, and we can help with our epic list of creative hobbies to explore. What Do We Mean by Creative Hobbies? Creative hobbies help you reach into your subconscious and pull out all your imaginative and innovative ideas.
Modern Dating Problems Revealed: 9 Reasons Young Folks Struggle to Find a Partner

4 days ago | partnersinfire.com | Melanie Allen

Loneliness is on the rise. Young people today find it ever harder to find a partner as the media laments dating culture. Here we explore the truth behind the loneliness epidemic and explore the problems with modern dating, revealing the root causes of the biggest dating woes young people are experiencing. Loneliness EpidemicLoneliness across the country seems to be growing. 52% of all Americans and 73% of millennials report feeling lonely.
Partners in Fire

5 days ago | partnersinfire.com | Melanie Allen

Trusting the wrong person can destroy your life. Far too many people gave their time and money to a relationship, only to watch it wither and burn when the other party decided they no longer wanted it. It’s far worse when you invest your time, money, and resources into their home with no ownership stake, as one soon-to-be homeless woman discovered.
Partners in Fire

1 week ago | partnersinfire.com | Melanie Allen

There’s a pervasive, toxic myth floating around society. In matters of romance, we tell our children to “find someone who will love you for who you are,” but the harsh truth is that person doesn’t exist. No one will love you for who you are, except maybe your parents. Why We Tell People Someone Will Love Them for Who They AreI get the intent. Telling folks to find someone to love them for who they are makes sense from a certain perspective.
10 Terrible Foods that are To Delicious to Give Up

1 week ago | partnersinfire.com | Melanie Allen

Food is life. We have to eat to live, and food sharing has been an integral part of cultures throughout history. However, not all foods are what we’d call “good.” Some foods are great for our bodies but taste like cardboard, while calling some fast food monstrosities “food” might be overly generous.
14 Bad Life Choices to Absolutely Avoid at All Costs

1 week ago | partnersinfire.com | Melanie Allen

Life’s not fair, nor is it easy. However, humans have a habit of making it worse for themselves with bad life choices. These horrible decisions make life so much harder than it needs to be. 14 Bad Life Choices to Avoid at All CostsDiscover the worst life decisions many people make. If you can avoid these, you’ll have a better chance at a happy, healthy life. Staying in a Bad SituationFar too many people stay in bad relationships, horrible jobs, and awful cities because it seems easier than leaving.
Signs You Should Quit: Top 10 Red Flags to Leave a Job

1 week ago | partnersinfire.com | Melanie Allen

We have a complicated relationship with work. In theory, it’s supposed to give us purpose and meaning, but in reality, a job is typically just a way to pay the bills. Even when viewed as a paycheck, some jobs are better than others. Some workplaces are toxic, featuring confusing schedules, bosses on power trips, and entitled customers. Maybe it’s time to quit.
A Healthier Happier You: How I Lost 20 Lbs in Four Months and So Can You

2 weeks ago | partnersinfire.com | Melanie Allen

In January, I decided to change my life. I stepped on the scale in terror and despaired upon seeing the number. 164lbs. 164 might not seem like a lot. But I’m only five feet two, and have a small frame. For me, 164 lbs is clinically overweight, bordering on obesity. I knew it would be bad. I’ve been gaining weight since COVID, and after turning 40, my metabolism slowed to a crawl. It’s now April, and I’m 20lbs lighter. I’ve noticed lots of great changes from the weight loss already. I feel healthier.
Crafts for Kids: 24 Artistic Ideas to Let Your Kids Explore Their Creative Side

2 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Melanie Allen

NowExpo 2025 Osaka unites Kengo Kuma, Lina Ghotmeh, Carlo Ratti and more to show how architecture can shape the future, one pavilion at a time. Expo 2025 Osaka is officially open, offering a rare chance to experience some of the world’s most inventive architecture in one place. Held on the artificial …
Partners in Fire

2 weeks ago | partnersinfire.com | Melanie Allen

Americans are stressed out. As they navigate increasingly busy roads to spend eight hours dealing with toxic bosses and outrageous customers, their hearts pound in their chests, and their minds drift to safe spaces to protect themselves from the onslaught of stressful situations. A found that nearly ¾ of all Americans experienced health impacts due to stress in the last month, and a quarter of Americans were so overwhelmed with stress they could barely function.