The other day, I was deep in thought in the steam room (as you do), and I kept thinking about how to love my friends better. I enjoy the people in my life, and I put in effort to remind them of why I love them. Especially now that fall quarter is in full swing, taking care of your friends through acts of kindness or uplifting words can relieve someone of stress for at least a brief moment. I started thinking about how to be intentional is to love others well, so here are five ways I came up with to practice!
#1 Personalized Gift Giving
Gift giving is one of the most meaningful languages of love in my opinion. Surely, you know how nice it feels when someone gives you something that reminded them of you. I love this, and I see gifts as a souvenir of friendship. For example, one of my best friends is going through a hard time, and although she is such a light in so many lives, stress has been so prevalent in her life. I started thinking about the time she said she liked my slippers and the fact that she loves the Guardians of the Galaxy character, Groot (honestly though, who doesn’t love Groot?!). So, I surprised her with slippers and a chia pet Groot. She was so surprised and happy in that moment, and it felt nice to see my best friend truly smile without any stress on our minds.
#2 Words of Affirmation
When you notice a unique or great quality in someone, TELL THEM! That information only benefits us by knowing we have a great friend, but it’s more beneficial if the person with these beloved qualities knew this. Life is too short not to be kind and love (and that does sound very cheesy) but when you narrow life down, acts of love and kindness are the memories we look back and hold on to. I was recently talking to a friend, and she had an application question that basically asked her what qualified her to be a leader. She was asking for friend perspectives, and I let her know how she makes everyone feel special just by how she speaks to others. I expanded on more qualities later on, but I could tell that she really appreciated my opinion of her.
#3 Check Up on People
Some of my friends are at another college, or I simply don’t see them in my routine everyday life. Well, good news for us- we have unlimited communication platforms, and one of them is texting! I have a friend at LSU that I hadn’t spoken to since school started for them, so on the first day of fall, I sent her a gif of the fall Friends football scene. I told her that I missed her, and that I hoped that classes were going well. She told me I sent it right as she was walking into an exam and that it was exactly what she needed. The best time to be intentional is all the time, and a simple text message can mean so much to a friend.
#4 “This Made Me Think of You”
Not all personalized gifts have to be materialistic. Thoughtful gifts also are perfect if you want to show someone you love them but don’t want to spend money! This can be a song, movie, or picture that made you think of your friend. Sharing a link to a song that reminded you of your friend will surely make them feel special and thought of.
#5 Making an Effort to See Your Friends
College can make life very busy, very quickly—I get it. It’s nice though to show interest in the people you care for and to be proactive with making them apart of your schedule. This doesn’t have to be every week, but I think making a plan for coffee or even just a walk somewhere will show your interest for your friendships.
I love intentional living and am still practicing new ways to love the people in my life better every day! These tips have been prevalent in my life and have made not only me feel loved by others, but also have made others feel the same by me. To be intentional is to love well!