Healthier Holiday Connections
It’s easy to see lost connections when we can order food from a restaurant without ever having made contact with an employee there. Both the appreciation of receiving the food, good or service and the pride that goes in seeing it enjoyed are removed. Efficiency and safety seem to come at the cost of meaningful interaction. However, our existing work and personal relationships are being tested in ways we’ve maybe not seen before. How we chose to help ourselves and others is up for a refresh, if we want to keep up the good feelings during tough times.
In their article on tips for improving mental health, the Canadian Mental Health Association - BC Region explain,
“The desire to have a purpose and connection to things bigger than ourselves is one of the qualities that make us human. It boosts our mental health by giving us perspective and meaning, and it connects us to others who care about the same things.”
Here are 10 ways to help others, yourself, and reinforce the healthy boundaries that make it possible!
Call and talk to a family member or coworker, to say check in and ask them what they’re up to. Your voice is powerful.
Invest in people not things: Support a small business, pay it forward, give an unexpected tip.
Have an honest conversation with a friend about boundaries. It’s important to understand and respect each other’s boundaries in a long-term partnership, just as it’s important to respect the boundaries of people whom one does not know very well.
Call and talk to a family member or coworker, to say check in and ask them what they’re up to. Your voice is powerful.
Let someone know how much easier your day is because of them: Even a note, e-mail, or card can do the trick. A little gratitude to change people's attitudes.
Recognize that your needs and feelings are as important as other people’s needs and feelings.
Compliment someone. The more good we notice in those around us, the more we discover in ourselves.
Smile/wave to a stranger, hold a door open for someone, be overly polite. You know, Canadian things.
Volunteer, or donate, to a charity: choose something meaningful.
Saying “yes” to every request people make of you can leave you feeling depleted and resentful. If you feel like you’re taking care of everybody’s needs except your own, it’s a sure sign that you need to set some boundaries to protect your time and energy.
Our takeaway from this is that your efforts matter. The work to improve your life and the lives of others is rarely wasted.
“The quality of your life will be determined by the quality of your contribution. When you work to improve the lives of others, your life improves automatically.” – Kurek Ashley
Looking for more guidance on how to set healthy boundaries? Here are links to the articles that gave us the inspiration for the list above:
How to Set Healthy Boundaries About Helping Others (link) from WikiHow
How to Set Healthy Boundaries: 10 Examples + PDF Worksheets (link) from Positive Psychology
21 Quick Ways You Can Make Someone’s Day Better (link) from joincake
Why Is It Important to Have Personal Boundaries? (link) from Psychology Today
