The holidays are over, the new year is here, and we’re nothing if not shell-shocked, still, over what transpired in 2020. While I know my situation isn’t everyone’s, I spent many of my days simultaneously overloaded by the stimulation of so many people in the house all the time (all seven of my family members, including me), and lonely from missed opportunities to connect and be together that I relied on in the past and, honestly, took for granted.

 

This Weekend: Call a loved one.

Start the year off tending to one of the things that fill life with meaning: your relationships with others. No need to set up a Zoom, if you don’t want to. In fact, being off-camera allows you and whoever you’re calling to focus on the conversation rather than any self-consciousness. (But you can video-chat if that’s your thing!)

On the heels of a holiday season that may have left you feeling hollow, wishing you could have been with the ones we love, now is the perfect time of year to check in on a loved one or two over the phone. The connection will warm their hearts and yours and set the tone for the year to come.