Sometimes just knowing that someone is there for you can make a world of difference. Showing someone that you care about them can create a safe environment, allowing them to open up and feel comfortable to sound out their troubles. It creates a sense of belonging, security and care that boosts our mental health. This is a form of social support (psychological help offered to help someone cope in times of need) and can bring benefits to our physical health as well.
Showing how much you care is not only important on holidays and special occasions, but every day of the year. You do not have to spend a lot of money, effort, or time showing someone you love him or her, either. Here are a few simple and special ways to show a person that you care.
1 Reach Out!
Take the initiative to ask your loved ones how they are and how their day went. It is extremely important to express your genuine concern and not make the other party feel you are asking simply out of obligation. An example will be to not just simply ask how their day was and proceed to stop the conversation there. If someone tells you that he or she is having a great day, ask them what made them happy. If he or she had a bad day, offer to comfort him or her.
Let us picture this situation. You are having a bad day. Someone checks up on you, asking how your day was. After explaining to them why the day was such a struggle, you will likely feel better and such a simple gesture like this can really make a huge difference. So, try it! Send a text to check in on your friend, listen to your friend talk about their emotions or even accompany them to their counselling session.
2 Acts of Service
As the pandemic has brought most of our human-to-human interaction online, it might be more difficult to notice if someone is down as most of the day to day interactions will be done online or over the phone. Hence, this makes showing another person that you care an arduous task.
Other than simply reaching out, you can also perform small acts of service like ordering food for him/her or even buying small gifts – simply as a gesture! Actions that simply go above and beyond would definitely show them that you care!
3 Words of Affirmation
Out of the variety of methods to show that you care out there, giving words of affirmation would be the most effective and most convenient one in the current context of the pandemic. The power of words is extremely crucial and helpful, however, before giving words of affirmation, you will need to listen actively first and truly understand what he/she is talking about, as well as their needs.
Encouraging, affirming, appreciating and empathising with them are examples of giving them words of affirmation. An example would be to send them an unexpected letter or card with genuine encouragement on it. Another example would be when giving words of affirmation over video calls, say them right into their eyes over the screen to show that you really mean it.
4 Quality Time
As effective as the few methods listed above may be, the most crucial is the quality of the time spent with them . Imagine when someone reaches out to you and does indeed spend time with you. However, he/she is constantly distracted and always on their phone while you talk to them about your problems and concerns. It is certainly not a pleasant feeling, is it?
Thus, it is best to ensure your conversations are uninterrupted and focused to show the person that you do genuinely care for their wellbeing. An example will be keeping your phone or any other distractions when spending one-to-one time with him/her.
Conclusion: Show That You Care
It does not take a lot of effort to show someone that you care for them. Many of the methods mentioned above do not require much money or much time. Yet, the effects are immense and can mean the world to someone. At the same time, if you feel isolated, do reach out to your friends and family as the way they express care and concern for you may not be the way you prefer. By communicating your thoughts, it may help alleviate the feeling of isolation. You can gain more insights from our other articles here!