Case
Well-known member
I seem to be horrible at maintaining friendships that I value. Oftentimes, I want the other person to "do the work" and contact me because the energy it takes for me to contact them is sometimes too much for me. (Maybe it's the introvert in me.) I also have that negative self-talk in my head that says things like, "They don't REALLY want to be your friend, so don't even try contacting them, loser." And I listen to this voice more than I should.
I remember visiting a friend once and he asked me to excuse him for a few minutes while he made a few calls. He proceeded to go through his phone list, dialed about five numbers, had two short conversations with people just to connect with them again, and he left three voice mails that said he wanted to touch base with them, and then gave me his undivided attention. I thought it was amazing that he did that. It never occurred to me to contact people like that. Maybe it's something I need to try.
This year, I have made one of my goals to be reconnecting with friends that slipped away from me due to neglect.
My question to you is how do you maintain your friendships?
I remember visiting a friend once and he asked me to excuse him for a few minutes while he made a few calls. He proceeded to go through his phone list, dialed about five numbers, had two short conversations with people just to connect with them again, and he left three voice mails that said he wanted to touch base with them, and then gave me his undivided attention. I thought it was amazing that he did that. It never occurred to me to contact people like that. Maybe it's something I need to try.
This year, I have made one of my goals to be reconnecting with friends that slipped away from me due to neglect.
My question to you is how do you maintain your friendships?