The Idea of the Week
Nurturing our relationships is an important component of our well-being and happiness. Let’s begin with a bit of reflection:
- Think for a moment how you feel when you have not connected with your friends or loved ones.
- Then think about how you feel when you are connecting with your loved ones.
- Finally, how do you feel after you have connected with them?
Do you feel wound-up and anxious when you have not connected with your loved ones recently? Do you find yourself slowing down and enjoying the moments with your loved ones? Do you feel at ease or a strengthened connection with who you just spent time with?
Not only is an emotional check-in with a loved one a space for us to share our struggles and what we enjoy, but it is also a space for our loved ones: to strengthen connections and feel fulfilled in our relationships.
The Practice of the Week
This 7-minute article from BetterHelp outlines How to Check In With Your Friends When Times Are Tough. The article includes signs for when to check in on your friends. We can often fall into the assumption that a friend does not want to talk to us when they have not reached out in a while. However, they may be struggling and do not know how to approach for help. Or maybe they forgot and got caught up in their busy lives. The point is: you do not know what is going on until you check in with them.
Finally, the article provides tips on the do’s and don’ts of checking in with your friends.
Need help starting the conversation? A common starter for an emotional check-in is to ask, “How are you doing?”
Sometimes this is overwhelming to start with, so another way to start the conversation is to share something that made you think of them recently.
This next 5-minute article lists several questions to ask during a check-in. While the article focuses on asking yourself, you can alter the questions to ask your loved one instead.
The Thought of the Week
Wishing you a peaceful week!
