On July 30th, we have the chance to take a step back and be grateful for the relationships we have, which matter more so now than ever.
Sky Mitchell,
Psychodynamic Counsellor & Holistic Personal Development Therapist agrees that,
“Lockdown has changed the way we connect with friends and family. We haven’t been able to experience touch or even a smile from a stranger”.
“Human relating is everything and it has left many people feeling very alone. Some people have been able to get through this loneliness by keeping in touch with others online and their relationships have strengthened”.
“Some have struggled terribly with this and not known how to change the way they communicate. If you have been able to grow from this new way of relating, maybe you could take a moment to reach out to someone struggling and share your experience with them too. Now is the time, more than ever before, to give love and support to ourselves and each other”.
Sky gave her expert tips on how to keep friendships strong while you can’t see them – prevalent now more than ever – with many people pinged back into iso and in need of a pick me up.
- Send a little care package, give them that pick me up they deserve!
- Pick up the phone to check in – this one may prove tricky if there is a time difference but, in that instance, secure a date and time that works for both and stick to it
- Reach out with a simple message to wish them a good day or week ahead.
- Send them pictures of the things you have done together, remind them of the good times you’ve had and get excited about what more there is to come
- Celebrate their accomplishments, congratulate them on any recent achievements however big or small
- With so many people having started up new businesses over lockdown, this is a good opportunity for friends to step in and help spread the word of their new start up – albeit a share on social media
- Plan a trip together for when you can reunite again
Thinking of gifting a friend?
What’s more exciting than finding the perfect gift for a friend and seeing their happy face when they receive it?
A combination of Google Search Data and survey results from PANDORA
revealed the current UK gifting trends and what surfaced was that when it comes to gifting the UK is becoming more conscious of the environmental impact of the gifts that people give.
The data unveiled that gifting trends have changed over the last few years, with a growing interest in more eco-friendly products; “eco gifts” and “sustainable gifts” searches have increased by 1,210% and 1,500% respectively since 2017, resulting in 1,000 to 3,000 searchers per month in average. This highlights how important environmentally friendly gifts are now for the UK population.
PANDORA’s survey indicated that surprisingly 12% of GenZ (16-24) spend over £300 on their friends when buying a gift – the most compared to any other age group. It also showed that 1 in 10 women spend more than £200 on gifts for their friends. Compared to women, men are less generous with 34% spend £50+ on their friends when buying a gift.
If you’re into astrology, then you might know that your star sign has a big influence on the type of friendships that you have. but does it change how you give gifts, below are the key findings from PANDORA’s survey:
- Gemini are the most generous when it comes to spend money on a gift on their friend with spending up to £300
- Cancer is most likely to gift friends and are willing to spend up to £100 on a gift
- Contrary to cancer, Capricorn is the least likely to give a gift to a friend, nevertheless they are willing to spend up to £100 for that special gift
- Scorpio are most likely to gift a friend for their birthday (50%) while Pisces are most likely to gift at Christmas (47%)
The data also shows that searches for man-made diamonds is another gifting trend that has been rising over the years. People are searching for ‘synthetic diamonds’ 1,300 times per month on average, alongside ‘lab-grown diamonds’ 2,400 times per month – a trend that has increased approximately 1,000% since 2017.
The survey gives additional insights into how the UK feels about buying diamonds – real or man-made. More than three-quarters of respondents in a relationship said they would gift a diamond to their partner. Those in Northern Ireland are the most likely to buy their partner jewellery as a gift (54%), followed by the North East and South East of England (both 39%) and Scotland (38%).
To discover what other gifting habits were revealed within the study, visit PANDORA’S Guide to Gifting