A simple relationship hack to grow love and connection

Building relationships. An incredibly easy method that works for all.

⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 4 Mins
Last Updated: May 2022

In this article:
A winning strategy for growing connection in your relationships

With relationships being such an important pillar of our lives, it is important that we work on, maintain and grow the relationships that are important to us. I have developed a little mechanism that always works to create connection, memories and shows the other person how much they mean and I am going to share it with you:

• I call it ~ Appreciation Day.
• I give you some ideas on how you can use it in your life too.
• So if you want to build connection in your most important relationships, read on.

​Relationships and connection are so important to us and there is now more research than ever before that points to the fact that relationships have a huge impact on our overall health, lifespan and of course, our happiness. 
 
So we all know that this is an important pillar of our lives and therefore this is something that we should be developing and scheduling just as we would any other important meeting/task to ensure that we are progressing in the right direction with our relationships. 
 
I have a tip I wanted to share with you that I have developed which has brought me great success, something I have coined "Appreciation Day".  I plan a full day (every quarter or so) where I dedicate it to a family member or close friend to show them how much I appreciate them (Actions always speak louder than words). Based on their personality and likes I create an agenda to spend time with them with the simple goal to make them feel good.  See below an example of when I did for a girlfriend:
 
Appreciation day! 

• Bring flowers
• Took her out for a long brunch…. And mimosas 
• Scheduled and mani & pedi for the both of us
• Movie date - rom com

 
We had a great day, we both had a lot of fun and she really appreciated the gesture.  This increased my happiness, it feels really good to give back to her and it strengthened our relationship.  I do these for my partner, my son, etc.  You will be surprised how much this adds to your happiness factor.
 
On a budget?  You don't need to spend a ton of money, you could make your special person a meal (or breakfast in bed or picnic), do mani/pedi's at home….(with a mimosa) and watch Netflix (or insert other activity here) it is just the point that you have dedicated a day to this person and put some thought into it. That you show your loved ones that you are thinking of them and that they are important to you.
 
I have also implemented a monthly care package into my calendar. I send a post card or letter (handwritten notes are not out of style, these days but they show even more thought and effort) or I put together a little package of goodies and send it to 1 person a month (chocolates, magnets, pictures, etc) I live abroad and it is important to me to keep connections with my family and friends from afar but would also have the same effect even if your recipients live close and recieve an unexpected surprise in the mail. 

​Above and beyond the extra special time that you put in place it is important that you are consistently making time for those that are most important to you to keep connected and stay in touch.  I use my bullet journal to track this and ensure I am making the progress I want to for my most important relationships. At the end of each month I journal and ask myself how I think my relationships have gone the previous weeks, what went well, and where I may need to focus some additional efforts. 
 
We get so busy with the day to day that sometimes we lose sight of making the time to develop and invest in our relationships, so put it in your calendar and hold yourself to it.  It can be easu to take for granted the most important things that are right in front of you. Trust me you will not be sorry!  Your relationships, and well-being, will thank you, and all of this for a minimal investment of time and effort that you will also benefit from. 
 
Please watch/read the below collection of resources to give an even greater understanding of the importance of your relationships and provide you some extra motivation to put your relationship "maintenance" in your calendar:

•  The health benefits of strong relationships
•  5 Benefits of healthy relationships

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​Please let me know in the comments if you implemented "Appreciation Day" and what your agenda was, or what else you do to strengthen and maintain your most important relationships. 

Design your Life - Be Authentic. Be You. Be Sharp. 

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​Sources: 

• Harvard's Women's Health Watch. "The health benefits of strong relationships".  Updated August 6, 2019. 
  • https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/the-health-benefits-of-strong-relationships
• ​​Northwestern Medicine. "5 Benefits of Healthy Relationships". 
  • https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/5-benefits-of-healthy-relationships
• Subscribe to TEDx Talks on YouTube ~ https://youtu.be/hmJyWreER7A​