We all want to have a happy and positive relationship with our friends and particularly with our family. Family bonds are a lifetime relationship and while some people have a strong bond, others might find it more of a challenge to maintain those relationships through hard times.
Everyone is going to face hardships in their lifetime and when it comes to tackling those tough moments in life, there are a number of efforts you could make to help strengthen the family bond. Here are eight ways to strengthen the bond and relationship you have with your nearest and dearest during challenging times.
1. Have open communication all the time.
Open communication is something that you need to have regardless of which family member it is and how old or young they might be. Their age might determine how easily or how difficult it might be to communicate with them.
Understanding what communication might be lacking, is something to be mindful of. That way you can address those relationships that need more communication so that you’re otherwise on the same page at all times.
Having open communication, particularly where your younger ones are concerned is important because, without that communication, they may find themselves making decisions and choices without your knowledge.
They may also find themselves with questions about the world and about life. If that open communication isn’t there, they’re unlikely to come to you for support as a result.
2. Listen to your family members to form a family bond.
Listening to your family members is an important part of strengthening your family bond. While you might be able to talk with your family members freely, it’s harder to hold back your thoughts and listen instead.
Offering a listening ear to those family members who need to offload their feelings and thoughts is something that can be highly beneficial to your family’s relationships. If that isn’t offered, then you might find your family members feeling like they’re not being appreciated enough.
3. Establish traditions.
Look at what traditions you could establish when it comes to your family. There are plenty of simple traditions that you could share over seasonal holidays like Christmas or Easter for example. Maybe you decorate the tree together while festive songs play in the background.
It might be that every Friday or Saturday you have a takeout or some sort of special dish to celebrate the end of the week. Establishing these traditions can be important when you find yourself going through the death of a loved one or perhaps a divorce between yourself and your other half.
These traditions can be just what’s needed to distract those family members from what is going on in their day-to-day lives. Traditions don’t need to be anything too complicated; they are often the elements of a family member’s life that are the most memorable as they go through life.
4. Express gratitude.
We can all express gratitude in life and when faced with challenging times in life, gratitude is often something that is appreciated in those moments.
Being grateful and expressing that gratitude could be done in a number of ways. It could be getting your loved one something meaningful to thank them for all the help they’ve been providing in recent times.
Expressing gratitude is important because unfortunately, not everyone offers it as easily as others would. It’s easy to think that you’ve expressed those thanks to family members when in reality, you might not have done enough for a family member to recognize that appreciation.
5. Seek support for a family bond.
Seeking support is always encouraged, regardless of how much support you need and what sort of challenging time you might be going through as a family. Divorce can impact all family members, particularly the younger ones.
Regardless of whether the split is amicable or things seem to be progressing fairly calmly, it’s important to have that communication with all your family members. Are they truly feeling ok or do they need to speak to a professional to help process the situation and their emotions?
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Seeking support, whether it’s through other family members, or friends or addressing problems in a professional setting, is crucial to ensure you’re doing everything you can to keep your family in good health with their mental well-being.
There’s nothing wrong with seeking support, especially if it’s something that’s going to benefit your health in more ways than one. The same can be said for helping support your family too. Look at what support you might need whether it’s through Turco Legal while navigating divorce, or speaking to therapists to unpack problems within the family dynamics.
6. Find dedicated family time.
Finding dedicated family time is important because life can get busy and when there’s a challenging moment or period of time in a family member’s life, it’s important to be proactive with your efforts in finding the time to spend together. These moments are the ones that will help build and develop your relationships, making them stronger as a result.
Think about what things you could do together and have that time dedicated solely to the family household. Try not to join it up with any other activities that might see work colleagues or friends showing up and involving themselves in quality family time.
With dedicated family time, it’s something that you’ll definitely want to do as much as you can when you’re faced with family troubles or problems of any shape or size. It can be a welcome and helpful distraction to have.
7. Share activities together.
Activities are something that you want to do more of where you can. Sharing these activities can be a great way to spend time together, doing the things you both love and that help to build or mend those relationships where there’s been damage.
When sharing these activities, consider what activities are something that can be done together and that can be enjoyed in both parts. There’s no point in doing something that the other one doesn’t like doing. That likely defeats the purpose of this, so try to find a shared activity that you’ll both love and want to do more of together.
A few suggestions could be going on a walk together. It’s free and a great way to get outdoors, breathing in some fresh air. It can also make for a great walk for the household dog if there is one.
Another option could be to look at doing a sport or class together. From pottery classes to fitness workouts in the gym, it all depends on who you’re doing to activity with. A younger sibling or child will likely want a more creative and stimulating activity, while older children or adults might want to do something more social.
8. Give space where needed.
It’s important that you’re trying to give space where needed. Some family members might not appreciate being hounded or pandered to while they’re going through turbulent times. Being able to give your loved ones space is something that is highly appreciated and certainly welcomed at times of struggle.
Think about how you could step back now and then so as to give the person in question the space they need. You’ll always be in the background ready for when they want to talk or address the issue.
These tips can really help to strengthen your family bond during the most tumultuous and challenging times. Use these tips so that you help to prioritize your family needs amongst anything else during the tough times in life.
What would you add?
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