12 Unique Ways to Stay in Touch with Those Who Matter Most
Surrounding ourselves with family and our loved ones is probably one of the best things we can do for our wellbeing.
It is difficult to stay in touch with loved ones, especially those who are far away. Life so easily distracts us from what and who are important to us.
Don’t lose the connections you have with those dear to you. Here are 12 simple ways to stay connected with our loved ones and show them we care.
Find Out What They Really Need From You
Every relationship is different. What you want or need from the friendship may not align with their wants and needs.
To stay connected, find out the best ways to get in contact with them or how often you can see them. There may be some important occasions that they need you to be there for, for example, their birthday. Take time to find out what will make this relationship more meaningful for them.
Plan On How You Will Stay in Touch
After finding out their needs, plan how you will stay in touch. It’s best to make plans well in advance to reduce the likelihood of the plan falling through.
People are very busy these days, and it can be hard to make time in the neverending schedule of life. Planning how you will stay in touch will help you stay connected.
Regular Visits
It may not be possible for some but try arranging regular visits with your loved ones. People often value face-to-face interactions more than meeting over a screen. See if you can take time out to visit, even if it’s just for a few hours every month.
Another way to plan visits is to find a meeting point where you both can go for lunch or dinner and meet there instead.
Video Call
If visits are out of the question, consider spending some quality time with your loved ones via FaceTime or Zoom.
If you have a smartphone, there are many social media apps, from Instagram to Facebook, that enable you to make video calls.
In this modern age, there are no excuses not to stay in touch with your loved one living far away! But be mindful of their time. They might not have a full hour to spare for a phone call.
Remind Them How Much They Mean to You
Maybe your loved ones are not getting in touch because they think you are busy or have forgotten them. Make it clear to them how much you value the relationship and want to spend time with them.
Sometimes, it takes one strong person to remind the other that they miss them and they are thinking about them.
Start a Book Club
Another way to get in touch and stay connected with loved ones is to align common interests and work towards goals together.
For example, maybe you both love reading. Set up a book club together, however informal, and arrange a deadline to read some of those mystery thrillers or steamy romance novels you’ve been dying to read.
Not only do you have a reason to stay connected, but you also have an accountability partner!
Gift a Photo
Do you have a photo taken this day two years ago that you want to share? Maybe Facebook pulled up an old memory that would be a great conversation starter.
Find photos that are meaningful to both of you and share in the memories. Reminisce on the moments you shared together.
A photograph would also make a lovely, inexpensive gift. Frame it for a personalized touch.
Share Things About Yourself
Even when you see your loved ones less, you should still be open with them about what's going on in your life.
If you act as if their absence means that you don’t share personal details about yourself and treat them like a stranger or an acquaintance, a stranger is what they will become.
For reference about how this affected my life: After my friends and I left university and moved abroad to other places, I tried to keep in touch by sharing personal details in social media stories that only my friends could see. While many made an effort to stay in touch, I felt weird about sharing private details with the ones who didn’t make an effort to share things back, so I stopped sending them messages altogether.
Contact on Social Media
Staying in contact on social media is another approach to staying connected. While definitely not the best approach, as you can tell from my last story, it sometimes remains the only way that you and your loved ones stay in touch.
While social media is a good place to touch base, try to arrange more than just an instant message. See if you can make plans for a call or even a meetup. It is usually valued much more than a comment on social media.
Weekly Check-in Calls
If you can do it, try to make it a weekly habit to check in with your loved ones. A call may be sufficient enough, and you can talk about the week you’ve had and catch up with anything else that is going on in your life.
Weekly check-in calls provide a structure and a schedule that sometimes people need because they are so busy. Make sure whatever time you ring is convenient for both of you.
Remember Important Dates and Events
Everyone has some important dates in their lives, whether they be their birthdays, anniversaries, or the kids’ birthdays.
Whatever it is, take note of these important dates and add them to your calendar. When the date pops around the corner, show them that you remembered.
For some loved ones, these occasions are very important, and they might take it personally if you forget.
Talk About the Future
Talk about the future together with your loved ones, and plan arrangements together to potentially meet if you haven’t already.
The plans give loved ones something to look forward to and talk about while also showing an interest in staying in touch and having the other person in your future.
