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 or delivery person. 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.

“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

Our existing work and personal relationships are being tested in ways we’ve maybe not seen before. How we choose 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 explains

“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.”

Getting intentional allows us to make the effort to share a comment on that delivery app, or ensure you give a raving review when possible. When connecting with family, and our need to belong and be connected is a powerful one, how can we maintain our limited reserves?

Here are some articles with easy-to-adopt guidance on how to make connections healthier over the holidays:

• How to Set Healthy Boundaries About Helping Others from WikiHow

• How to Set Healthy Boundaries: 10 Examples + PDF Worksheets from Positive Psychology

• 21 Quick Ways You Can Make Someone’s Day Better from joincake

• Why Is It Important to Have Personal Boundaries? from Psychology Today