Lifestyle
Best Ways to Spend More Time with Your Family
Stronger relations
Why Spending Quality Time with Your Family is More Important Than You Think?
“Spending quality time with your family is important” – we’ve heard this time and time again. However, most people do not realize that the operative word here is ‘quality’, as opposed to ‘time’. You may spend hours on end with your family, but how you spend this time is what matters. In simple terms, quality stumps quantity, again.
Here are a few reasons why spending quality time with your family is important:-
Stronger relations
Spending time together helps in strengthening the bonds between family members, fostering trust, understanding, and open communication. Engaging in activities and sharing experiences with family can create lasting memories and deeper emotional connections, contributing to a more satisfying life.
Eases Stress
Spending time with family acts as a powerful tension reliever. Engaging in activities that promote relaxation, such as watching movies together, taking walks, or engaging in hobbies helps reduce stress levels. The emotional support and shared laughter experienced during family time releases feel-good hormones like oxytocin, which in turn lower stress and anxiety, promoting a state of calm and well-being.
To Show Kids That They Matter
Your kids need you. Not being around them would make them feel like they don’t matter to you. Children crave attention, particularly from their parents. And as a responsible parent, you need to be there for them in their accomplishments and most importantly, at times when they feel low. Spending time with your children will make them realize that they matter to you.
Have a family dance party
This is usually one of my all time favorite ways to spend time with my entire family, or just one kid. Just let it loose! Teach them some of your old moves and see what they can teach. My favorite thing is copying what one of my kids does. They giggle so much.
You don’t feel lonely
Loneliness is gradually turning into a problem of epic proportion more so after the pandemic. Isolation and real time social avoidance is becoming a way of life which is completely against our innate nature. Having strong and healthy family ties can help with the difficulties that come with loneliness, especially anxiety, and fulfills emotional needs.
To Teach and Learn New Things
When you spend time with your family, you naturally discuss new things. This is the best way to share interesting information, news, or simply to hold engaging conversations. Children are always, every year. No doubt, they would love to hear something interesting and tell their tales of the school. This way, the entire family learns something new.
Emotional support:
One of the fundamental benefits of spending time with family is the emotional support it provides. Family members offer a safe, non-judgmental space to share your thoughts, concerns, and joys. This emotional connection helps reduce stress, improves mood and fosters a sense of belonging. The love and understanding received from family members can greatly boost your overall well-being.
Ideas to Maximize Family Time:
Now that you know why spending time with your family is so important, try these ways to spend quality time with your loved one.
Increases life expectancy:
Spending time with family and having good ties can increase oxytocin levels in the brain, and other feel-good hormones. Oxytocin helps to reduce stress and anxiety, increase feelings of bonding, and promotes general well-being.
Helps the children and younger ones in the family deal with insecurities and fears:
Children learn and adapt from their parents and families. As kids grow up, they are exposed to good and bad influences. With good relationships and guidance from home, they will be able to make better informed choices and create a healthy parent-child bond that can be a source of joy and balance for both.
Helps in developing communication skills:
Regular interaction with family members provides an ideal setting for developing effective communication skills. Engaging in conversations and actively listening to each other’s thoughts and perspectives foster empathy and understanding. These skills extend beyond the family unit and positively influence relationships in other areas of life, including friendships and professional settings.
Exercise or Workout Together:
Working out with family members can be a lot of fun. This is a double win for everyone as this way you will be healthy as well. Join the local gym, or simply, work out at home if you have got the equipment. You can also teach your children to exercise. Start teaching simple exercises to your children; once they get a knack of it, they’ll look forward to exercising schedules and spending time with you.
Increased life satisfaction:
Spending time with family can lead to greater contentment and happiness. Family members’ love, support, and encouragement can boost self-esteem and self-confidence, leading to a more positive outlook on life. Studies have shown that people with strong family connections are happier and more content with their lives.
Improved physical health:
Families that engage in healthy activities, such as exercising, cooking nutritious meals, or participating in outdoor activities, tend to have better overall physical health. Shared healthy habits can lead to improved fitness levels, decreased risk of chronic diseases, and increased longevity.
Plan a Day Out Each Month:
Once a month, go out on a field trip or a picnic. And every year, plan a vacation to a place you’ve never been before. Traveling and visiting places can be great fun and is a great way to spend quality time with your family.
Positive Role Modeling:
For kids, spending time with the family allows them to learn from their parents and other family members. They observe and emulate behaviour, values, and attitudes, which shape their character and development. A strong family bond also creates a supportive environment that encourages kids to learn, grow, and thrive.
Enhanced Emotional Intelligence:
Individuals can develop better emotional intelligence by spending time with family, particularly in emotionally challenging situations. Observing and participating in family dynamics can teach one how to manage emotions, empathize with others, and communicate feelings effectively, enhancing personal relationships and social skills.
Clean the House Together:
Cleaning the house might not sound like fun, but when you do it together as a family, it becomes fun. You could revamp your home, move the furniture around, and get rid of all that clutter. At the end of the day, you will be satisfied to see that you did something productive and spent time with your family as well.
Improved mental health:
Spending quality time with family can help reduce stress and anxiety and improve overall mental well being. Interacting with loved ones provides emotional support, promotes a sense of belonging, and allows you to share your thoughts and feelings, which can help reduce stress and prevent feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Why is it important to spend time with family?
Playing with the kids is more than just having a good time, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Their studies suggest that playing with the children increases a child’s mental health and strengthens the bond between family members.