Many people’s New Year’s resolutions fall along pretty similar lines–if you’ve resolved to get more exercise, eat less, or spend more time chasing your dreams, you’re definitely not alone. But you deserve to have some more unique resolutions this year.
Instead of making a New Year’s resolution that falls along the lines of losing weight (do those ever really work?), why not make a resolution to reconnect with an old friend or estranged family member? Here are just a few reasons why resolving to reconnect might be the perfect way to ring in the new year:
-Renew important relationships
-Happily reminisce
-Give yourself closure
-Grow your family
Renew & Build Lasting Relationships
Relationships will come and go throughout life; that’s just something everyone will end up experiencing over time. But there are also those special relationships that last for many years. You can easily create friendships and romantic relationships that last for decades. It just takes finding the right person. And that right person might be someone you already know.
Just remember that close friendships can start in many different ways. Even if it’s been a long time since you last talked, you can still build a brand-new relationship in a different light. These people changed your life long ago. Who’s to say they can’t do it again?
Think About Your Past With Happiness
If you have relationships that you miss from a long time ago, it might make you feel unhappy about your past. Of course, everyone has things in their past they’re not proud of. But you’ve grown and changed since then, and you deserve to be able to think fondly about where you came from.
The thing is, that can be hard to do if some of your most beloved relationships ended on a sour note, or if you have no idea where those people ended up. But consider this: taking the time to find those people again and finding a way to reconcile may help to recolor the past and make it seem a little happier.
Bring Yourself Closure
Do you remember when you lost touch with your friends or extended family? Maybe it was due to a fight that you now regret. Or perhaps it was because you didn’t make the effort to stay in contact. Maybe the other person really hurt you, but you want to try and repair the relationship now.
No matter what happened back in the day, there are plenty of reasons why you might feel guilty about the situation in general. Even if you only connect for a little while, that could be long enough for you to apologize or get some things off your chest and, if needed, for the other person to do the same.
Expand Your Family
Family is an important part of life. Whether it’s a family you build yourself or one that you’re born into, it’s so valuable being able to have family members that you trust and love around you. But sometimes you have to search for those family members, especially if it’s been a while since you last talked.
That might mean re-inviting old family members you’ve fallen out of contact with back into your life. Or finding a relative you never really knew to begin with. Either way, you’re likely to be happy having more family in your life this coming year.
How Can You Connect Again?
There are so many good reasons to reconnect with people you miss. If you’re interested in doing so, you might wonder how to go about it. Is Facebook the right way? What about contacting other family and friends to try and locate the person in question? Both of these can be great options.
You could also use a dedicated online people search to help you try to track down old friends or family members using their names. Or if you already have an old phone number for a person–even one that’s no longer in service–you can perform a reverse phone lookup to try and find the associated person’s name and current contact information.
Conclusion
Beyond the logistical challenges you might face in finding someone again, there are emotional challenges as well. It can be scary as well as exhilarating putting yourself out there in the hope of reconnecting. But even just the act of trying should prove to you how much you’ve grown. That, if nothing else, makes the resolution to reconnect a worthy one.
Image credit: Monkey Business Images – www.shutterstock.com
