There is an old saying that goes something like this, “To make a difference in someone’s life, you don’t have to be brilliant or rich. You just have to care.” Yes. It’s that easy. So, allow me to put it as direct as I can – Altruism is the most gentle yet magnanimous personality trait a person can possess. As we grow up, we become so engrossed in our own lives that sometimes we forget our cheerleaders who were there for us every step of the way. It’s time you make them feel loved.
Learning the nuances of how to show someone you care about them can seem inconsequential to the person who is showing care. It could be just a phone call from your side. However, it could be the kindest act directed toward this person who could be receiving care in weeks or even months. Perhaps it may even change their outlook on life.
It’s always actions that speak louder than words. Whether it’s your family member, a special person, a long-lost friend, or even a distant relative you haven’t spoken to in a long time, it is important that you never stop showing your concern for them and make that person feel like they are valued and treasured.
25 Ways To Show Someone You Care
Let me start with a confession. I am not a very affectionate person. I didn’t know how important it was to show care until I met my husband. He made me realize that I was taking my loved ones for granted even though I always meant well. The only thing I struggled with was my hesitation in showing love and care toward him and others.
I gradually learned the importance of simple things like caring for your partner in different stages of life. I pass on my learnings in this piece to those who don’t know how to show someone you care about them and love them irrespective of the affliction they are facing at the moment.
How To Show Your Crush You Care About Them
Having a crush on someone is painful. It is unrequited love and you don’t know if your confession will lead them to love you back or drive them away forever. Here are some ways to tell someone you love them without actually having to say it and let your actions take the front seat.
1. Send them a care package
How to show someone you care who is your crush and you don’t want them to push you away because of your feelings? Send them a care package with a handwritten note. Tell them you are here for them as a friend. The care package can include a journal to jot their thoughts down. It can also include scented candles, flavored teas to comfort their evenings, and some wine to drink while they watch their favorite movie.
2. Lend a sympathetic ear
There is nothing more comforting than having someone to talk to. Listening to their sorrows, joys, and all their crazy stories can make them feel more validated. If they want to share their deepest secrets with you, listen to them. This is genuinely one of the ways to show love and care.
3. Send them music
You know, there are five types of love languages:
- Words of affirmation
- Quality time
- Physical touch
- Acts of service
- Sending and receiving gifts
I believe we need to add one more to this list — Sharing music. I am sure we’ve all seen The Perks Of Being A Wallflower. Charlie makes a playlist for his friend Patrick. That’s when I realized how thoughtful the art of sharing music with someone is not just thoughtful. It’s also a unique love language. You can make a playlist of their favorite songs and send it to them. This is one of the subtle ways of showing you care about them and want them in your life.
Even studies back this up. It is suggested that one of the delicate functions of music amongst human populations is its capacity to create and strengthen social bonds amongst interacting group members. If you are crazy about your crush and don’t know how to confess your feeling, make a playlist for them and let the songs do the job for you.
4. Send them memes
To show someone you care over text is not that difficult anymore. The sea of memes and funny reels at your disposal have made the task so much simpler. A funny Instagram reel can tickle their bones and make them forget about their woes for a moment. This is one of the best ways to let someone know you are thinking about them.
Related Reading: How To Say “I Love You” In 10 Different Languages?
5. Plan a surprise getaway
It can be mentally exhausting to work all day and come back home to just Netflix and chill. Help your crush in packing their bags, drive to a nearby location for the weekend, and give them the pampering they deserve. This is one of the simple ways to spend time with your crush and one of the ways to show love. If you have been wondering, “Why is it important to show someone you care?”, then the smile on their face when you surprise them with your plan will answer your question.
How To Care For Your Partner Who Is Sick
Serious or chronic illness can literally change someone’s life. There could be a thousand things going through their mind that they might not be comfortable sharing with anyone. The physical and mental pain can get extremely tough. During such times, it’s essential you find out ways on how to help a sick person feel better by showing care and love.
6. Spend quality time with them
Spending quality time is one of the love languages many people prefer. When a person is sick, it’s good to just be in their presence and not make their sickness the focal point of your conversation. Enjoy their company and talk about other things. This little effort of spending quality time with them will make them forget about their illness momentarily.
7. Cook for them
A person who is sick will obviously find it hard to cook. Instead of ordering takeout for them, drop by their house and spend time cooking together. Share a few laughs while making soup for them. It is one of the simple ways to show someone you care but it is going to make the biggest difference in their life.
8. Help them with their chores
Sick people may find it difficult to do basic chores. Help them do their laundry or even vacuum the house for them. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a family member or a special someone who has fallen sick, always remember that a little act of kindness goes a long way. They will forever remember you with fondness.
Related Reading: Are You Falling In Love Too Fast? 8 Reasons You Should Slow Down
9. Accompany them to the hospital
Instead of letting them go alone to the hospital, tag along with them. This is one of the best ways to show someone you care about them. Even studies prove that accompanying a sick person to the hospital can benefit them as it provides psychological support and care to the patients.
10. Keep checking up on them
Just because you met them once doesn’t mean you won’t check up on them again. You don’t even have to go meet them often. Just a phone call once a week is enough to remind them that you are here for them. This is one of the simple things to show you care about them.
How To Show You Care For Someone After Breaking With Them
Breakups, right? Hurts like hell. You have lost your special someone with whom you imagined spending your life with. Just because you broke up with them doesn’t mean you stopped caring about the. You need to make sure that they are doing okay by showing that you care about them. Here are some ways to show care in a relationship after it has ended.
11. Respect their decision
What to do when you hurt someone you love? Respect their decision about the breakup. Don’t beg them to come back or plead with them to keep loving you. That’s not how relationships work. It’s their will whether or not to be in a relationship with you. If they don’t go according to your wishes, don’t force them to be your puppet.
12. Don’t trash-talk about them
Many people go around badmouthing their ex after a breakup. That shows nothing about them and only shows your character in a bad light. It’s important to find someone who will be a good listener here. You don’t have to put negative thoughts in their head about your ex. You just have to share your feelings with them.
13. Be vocal about your concern for them
Just because they outgrew their love for you, doesn’t mean they are a bad person and you need to cut them off from your life. Maybe they wanted to focus entirely on their career and this decision has nothing to do with you. or maybe they are dealing with the loss of a loved one and don’t have the time to be in a relationship. Help them manage their emotions and don’t think about them as a cruel person for breaking your heart.
14. Give them a big hug
This is one of the little things you can do to show them you still love them. This might even make them rethink their decision about the breakup. It will help you get rid of the negative feelings you have at the moment. Even science shows that hugging doesn’t just show someone you care about them but it also boosts overall health. It can even help you lose weight, lower blood pressure, fight off sickness, and more.
15. Don’t be jealous if they move on before you
It stinks, we get it. But it’s meant to happen. Someone has to make the first move to move on. Don’t be jealous if that someone isn’t you. They are just looking out for themselves. They are not selfish for moving on before you. They might have genuinely found a nice person and they may want to see how if things could work between them. Congratulate them and keep your head held high. Don’t be a bitter person.
Related Reading: The Yin And Yang Of The Sexuality Spectrum
How To Care For Your Long-Term Partner
When you have been dating for a long time, you sometimes begin to take your partner for granted. Here is how you can keep the foundation of love stronger between the two of you by showing them you still care about them and want nothing but the best for them in their personal and professional life.
16. Provide emotional support
How to show care in a relationship that has survived for more than 5 years? Always be their sympathetic ear when they come up with their problems. Don’t judge or hastily make decisions for them. Become their support system. One of the fundamentals of support is offering emotional support to them and let them know that you are here for them if they need to talk or cry it out.
17. Tell them to take their time before taking any next step in life
How to show your partner you care who is stuck in life? Avoid pressuring them to take the next step. Let’s say they’ve lost they have lost their job. That doesn’t mean you rush them to do something else. They need to adjust to being unemployed before they start looking for another job. Let your partner take their time to figure out what they really want to do. This is one of the gentle ways to show love.
18. Remind them that you will catch them if they fall
Reminding someone you love them is one of the best ways to let them know that you will be there for them despite any hardships and troubles. Buy them flowers and take them out on romantic dinner dates every once in a while to keep the romance intact. Words of affirmation is another love language that holds magical powers which you can use every day to keep the love alive.
19. Always offer your assistance by being available for them
Offer them your help. If they want to start a new business, support them by giving your advice. If worst comes to worst, tell them they can even ask you for financial help. Tell them they can pay you back when they land a good job.
20. Be supportive at every step of their way
Your partner needs to know that you have their back. Assure them that every decision of theirs would be supported and encouraged by you. You can even share your thoughts with them without being judgmental about their life decisions. This is one of the kind ways of showing you care about them.
Related Reading: 11 Ways To Improve Communication In Relationships
How To Care For Your Partner Who Is Dealing With The Death Of A Loved One
The death of a loved one can put someone in a deep state of shock and grief. It doesn’t just interrupt their life for a few months. It changes their lives completely. Your partner’s emotions are all over the place. They are feeling lost, angry, and miserable. This is the time when they need your care, love, and support the most. Below are some of the best ways to show someone you care who is grieving the loss of a loved one.
21. Attend the funeral
Going to the memorial is one of the best ways to show someone you care about them. Just being around your partner who has lost their loved one can be comforting to them. Attending a funeral is one of the ways of paying respects to the family. It’s a way of helping them say goodbye. If your partner has lost a loved one, this is one of the simple ways to show them you care.
22. Say things that matter
There are a few things that one should and shouldn’t say when they are meeting someone who is grieving. You can’t fill the void like “Everything happens for a reason” or “I understand what you are going through” even if you have experienced a loss of this magnitude. When you do that, you are putting the bereaved one in a position where they have to console you when they are the ones who need consoling at the present moment.
23. Offer hope and remind them you are here for them
Offer hope to the grieving person by telling them to preserve and cherish the good memories they have with their loved one. Let them know that grief is a gradual process and it won’t heal overnight. Send them flowers, cake, and care packages, and just be genuine in your communication. Offering hope will let them know that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
24. Read them poems
People have used poetry for centuries as a means to overcome grief. It serves as an outlet for those seeking hope. Reading poetry will act as a reminder that they are not alone in this world. Reading them poems is a great way to let someone know you care about them. Here are some poems you can read to that person who is grieving to make them feel cared for:
- W.H. Auden’s Funeral Blues
- Edgar Allan Poe’s Annabel Lee
- Henry Van Dyke’s Gone From My Sight
Related Reading: Separation Anxiety In Relationships – What Is It And How To Cope?
25. Give them a good book to read
Along with giving them a hug, giving them fresh flowers, and sending them a heartfelt note, make sure you add a book to help the mourner understand that they are loved and cared for. This will divert their mind as well. Here are a couple of books you can add to your care package:
- Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief by David Kessler
- It’s OK That You’re Not OK by Megan Devine
Key Pointers
- Showing someone you care about them is one of the ways to strengthen your bond with them
- To show care, you need not invest in grand gestures or expensive gifts, just offering support, listening, and being empathetic can get the message across
- Be more affectionate, vocal about your care for them, and celebrate your friendships as you go along
Life is short and we all have our fair share of distractions and problems to deal with while being on this roller-coaster called life. But holding the hands of those we love through it all is what makes the ride bearable and worthwhile. This is why it’s important to show these people your appreciation every once in a while.
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