One of the top three New Year's resolutions made each year is 'Staying in touch better.' After getting together for the holidays and realizing how much you miss family and friends, many people vow to be more aggressive at communicating with the ones they love. Sadly, like most resolutions, after a week or two, people return to their same routine and the promise is quickly forgotten. It does not have to be this way. Keeping your promise to stay in touch more with your family and friends can be a New Year's resolution you keep. There are simple things that you can do that will help you stay in touch without disrupting your hectic lifestyle. In the end, you will feel great for having kept your resolution and you will be much happier because you have remained in touch with those who matter.Non-Digital ContactEveryone has said that the Internet Age has made it easier to stay in touch with those you love. While this may be true to a point, it is not completely accurate. At first, communicating over the Internet was a novel way to contact your loved ones. People eagerly checked their inboxes to see if anyone said hello. Then, social media entered the picture and everyone began sharing pictures and more with each other over the web. Now, however, all the real contact between loved ones and friends is just part of the noise online. Your inbox is filled with work emails, advertising, and bills that you must pay and many notes from friends and relatives are overlooked until the "important" things are handled. Posts on social media are often lost to the many other posts that arrive each day. Communication comes almost to a halt and everyone finds themselves losing touch once more. The SolutionThe solution is simple. It is time to make an effort to make real contact with those that matter in a non-digital manner. Send a cute card or a love letter. Write a thank you note or a poem. Send a picture that your child drew or a printed photograph to someone to share the joy it brought you. The simple fact that you took the time to communicate with someone in this way will have a lasting impact and bring you closer together.
