Resolution Time: Connecting with Others in the New Year
If you are like most people during this time of year, you haven’t yet made a resolution list but lots of ideas are turning themselves over in your head. It’s impossible to escape the language and ideas around resolutions in late December–it’s everywhere! But we want to challenge people to think about resolutions in a new way this year.
Instead of focusing on ways you want to change your body or change your habits (check out our blog on personal acceptance), what about making resolutions to connect with people more in the new year? The mark of time that comes with new year celebrations is the perfect moment to think about the people in your life: who do you miss? Who do you wish you saw more? Is there a friend or family member that you always connect with quickly but only see once or twice a year? Maybe it’s time to build stronger connections with those around us and strengthen our personal communities.
Let’s make 2020 the year of connection. Not sure how to do that? We’ve got some ideas.
Nurturing older friendships
As we get older, it can become harder to hang on and nurture friendships that we value. Between longer hours at work, children, working on our homes, and just general adulting, the time to spend with friends can feel small. And before you know it, months have gone by since you’ve seen the people you love. Make this coming year about reconnecting with old friends and putting energy into the friendships you truly care about.
Bustle has some great ideas for how to grow your friendships and it doesn’t require expensive nights out or giving up entire days, either. We are all busy, but if you try some of these ideas your friendships are sure to strengthen.
Is your friend group spread out all over the country now? This is a pretty common state of friendships now, with people moving across the country for school, jobs, and relationships. But you don’t have to lose those connections with the move. Hello Giggles has great ideas for keeping the friendship alive, but we especially like the ideas of watching movies together, virtually, starting a remote bookclub, and scheduling FaceTime or Skype dates.
Connecting with new friends
If you are new to a city or job and looking to make new friends, it can feel daunting at times. Without the common bond of school, finding people you connect with can feel especially hard. Consider inviting people out to a bar or game space where you can hang out and chat. And if you want to see who you really connect with, take How Do You See The World? When people start talking about deeper thoughts and ideas, you’re more likely to build better connections with new friends. And often people want to be asked thoughtful questions that make them really think. But we can all feel shy about asking such things, especially with new friends. So let our game do the asking!
Connecting with your community
One level of connection that we don’t talk about enough is connecting with our local communities. If you want a resolution that will make a BIG impact on you and those around you, get involved at the local level.
You can become an active member of your HOA or even start volunteering at local nonprofits. Schools often need a lot of help during the year, especially with supply drives. So check in with the schools in your neighborhood and ask how you can help.
Organizing or participating in park cleanups is another great way to meet the people who share the same public space as you. Plus, research has shown that when we know our neighbors, and connect with them, we feel less lonely and much safer.
For some other great ideas of how to connect with your neighbors, check out this handy list from The EveryGirl. Don’t just look at the NextDoor app this year–get out and make some connections!