Just curious, how many readers out there are experiencing the blahs – gray skies, winter blues, dulled senses, relationship boredom? Plenty I am guessing. Today the focus is on things we can control. We can positively impact our relationships. Let's take a stab at recharging our relationship(s).
What are the top 5 things you could do to try to jump-start a tired relationship? The first is to realize that every relationship gets boring and stagnant – parent-child, friendships, neighborhood friends, work peers, romances, and marriages. People can be boring – same stories, same viewpoints, same routines. Can we change ourselves to be less boring? Yes!
Thus, the second focus is to actually do something proactive to be less boring. I personally want to push my couch size butt onto a pickleball court. Others are enjoying it. Could I possibly find a hidden athletic ability after 64 years? Possibly, not likely, but worth a shot.
The third way to recharge is to serve others. Yes – you and your neighbor form a drive for a (gently used) winter coat collection around your block. Your co-workers collaborate on a potluck lunch at work. You and your child pick a cookie recipe to make together and bring the cookies to a relative or the family of a friend. The romantic pair research planting a tree this spring. The “ball and chain” pair attend a meat raffle for charity or volunteer for park clean up days.
The fourth way is to communicate in a deeper way with the person. Come to the dinner table with 10 conversation starters you found on the internet. Ask your person if there is one subject, they wish they you would ask them about. Take a point in the future and ask what this person hopes to have happened. Consider a game of six degrees of separation with your neighbor – you may find that somewhere in their lineage, work experience or travel you are connected by one person. Put out a comment box for coworkers on a subject – things they are grateful for, favorite quotes, etc.
Lastly, challenge yourself to have an “opposite day”. Read a different genre book or story, see a movie that is far different than your usual preference, explore a new form of transportation – use a bus, light rail, bike, train – to get somewhere on your day off. Push yourself into new territories – see if you can expand who you are and what you enjoy and what you are good at. Become less boring and less bored with yourself.
Recharging yourself starts a reaction in others. Embrace the concept of recharging and enjoy where it takes you!
All the best! Let me know how this works for you!