In this series, we’re focusing on the LIVE WELL 6. These are 6 areas of self care that I believe will help you live your life well and stay focused on what matters most. Today, we’re continuing the LIVE WELL series with part 3 – Live Well Socially. In this post, I’m going to share the importance of nurturing your relationships and practicing good etiquette.
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1. Spend quality time with family and friends
In our fast-paced world, it can be hard to carve out time for the people that mean the most to us. But time spent with others is so important for our relationships to thrive and grow. This year, my husband and I started scheduling family nights with our respective families. We do this once a week as often as possible and we alternate weeks (one week, we hang out with his family and the next week we hang out with my mine). This way, we have regular time with each side of the family.
Yes, there are a hundred other important things in life but, after your relationship with Jesus, there’s nothing more important than investing in your people. So have game nights, lunch dates, family dinners and days at the park. Make a big deal out of birthdays and anniversaries. Celebrate promotions, graduations, and test grades. Life is too short and too precious not to share it with those we love.
2. Keep in touch
On that last note, if you have family and friends who don’t live near you, be intentional about keeping in touch.
I have to be honest, I’m not good at this at all. I grew up in Illinois and moved to Texas with my family in my late teens. I have a family and friends back home that I’m always not good at staying in contact with. It’s definitely something I need to work on!
It takes little effort to send a text or email or, better yet, a card or letter. Pick up the phone, hop on a video call. It takes time to be intentional but when it comes to relationships, it’s so worth it!
3. Create a master contact list/address book
This is one of my big projects for 2022. If you’re like me, you keep all contact information in your phone and Facebook is pretty much the only place you keep track of birthdays. I don’t know about you but I don’t like that! I want to have an actual place where I keep all this information. I am forever wishing I had a place for contact information, birthdays, anniversaries and other important dates for family and friends. I plan to create this database in Notion.
Whether it’s a digital database or an analog system in a notebook or address book, having a place where you keep this important information, will help you be more intentional about keeping in touch and celebrating big days with those you love!
4. Open your home
The pandemic changed so much about how we interact with one another in person but as you feel comfortable, consider how you can open your home to others. Having lived in a travel trailer the first 2 years of our marriage, my husband and I love that our past few years in an actual house have allowed us to host family and friends. It’s the best! We truly love hosting people in our space.
There’s still so much I can learn about hosting well and having a company-ready home as often as possible. I truly believe that as much as possible, we should have homes that are open for nurturing relationships, nourishing souls and sharing Jesus through hospitality. We’re all different and we’ll all do this differently but however you can, your home should be a haven that makes others feel safe and cared for.
5. Etiquette matters
Confession: since making Live Well Socially a part of the Live Well 6, I’ve had to practice spelling etiquette and it’s still a bit of a struggle. Etiquette isn’t something we talk about much anymore. Sure, we know it’s polite to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ (and too many people still don’t even say them!) but we’re so lost in our devices, we don’t pay attention to the social graces that generations before us considered second nature. Things like holding the door open for someone else (regardless of gender, even though I still think it’s polite for the door to be held open for ladies) and putting the shopping cart back in the corral thing (what is that thing called?), and smiling and looking people in the eye when conversing and conducting business. Knowing how to set a table, sending thank you cards, and RSVPing for an event. Properly introducing people, sneezing in your elbow, a firm handshake, saying “excuse me” and “I’m sorry”, being punctual, getting out of a car properly (especially if you’re wearing a dress or skirt), crossing your legs at the ankle (if you’re a lady) not slouching (if you’re a human) and covering your mouth when you yawn. Some of these things some people do. Some of these things not many people do.
While I do some of the things I listed above, I still have a ways to go to be more classy and ladylike! For more about being a classy lady, check out this post – 20 Characteristics of a Classy Lady.
What does living well socially mean to you? There is so much I can add about things like boundaries and behavior on social media but those topics are still simmering in my brain :). I’ll continue to add to this section as I’m learning more!
If you missed the previous posts in this series, you can check them out here:
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