Family support does wonders for your life. Family time is essential for a healthy lifestyle.
A wide variety of studies show that even a modest amount of family time is linked to a host of positive benefits.
Most people know this intuitively.
You probably have witnessed the fact that when people are under some sort of stress or pressure, they tend to find themselves doing things, such as seeing the dentist or hitting the gym, that is obviously not in their best interest.
But is this actually true?
It turns out, there is quite a lot of research that backs this up.
Spending time with family reduces stress and improves well-being, and some research shows that people with close family members suffer less stress than those who don’t.
“We are more likely to be stressed if we don’t have that consistent, safe environment to retreat to at the end of the day,” said Tomi-Ann Roberts, lead author on the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism study.
The impact of the family environment on people’s mental well-being is particularly significant during the stress of raising children.
One study published in the journal Children and Youth Services Research, for example, found that when children had access to strong, consistent relationships, and were raised in a safe and stable environment, they experienced higher self-esteem, lower anxiety, and a greater ability to manage stress.
Research suggests that siblings often help each other, providing moral support to one another, even when the individual siblings are very different.
“For some children, their older sibling serves as a calming and comforting presence,” Roberts said. “This helps them to feel protected.”
To create a positive and secure environment, experts recommend sharing common family activities.
It is also important that family members regularly discuss problems together and be aware of each other’s feelings.
How to put the family time to work
There is no shortage of ways to create more family time. This is a straightforward, inexpensive, and effective way to improve your health.
Here are five tips for getting more family time:
1. Break the rules
This is one of the most effective ways to create some family time.
If there is a family rule, try to break it. Instead of turning on the TV to watch a movie, make a game out of it.
Try making up little games and using common words instead of “it.”
For example, “game” becomes “gibberish” or “grimleoww,” and “fun” becomes “funny.”
Challenge your family members to see who can come up with the funniest, wackiest game.
Then, do this with other topics. You will be amazed at how much family time you can squeeze into a day.
2. Plan family activities, including time at the park
Also, take advantage of free family activities and social gatherings.
You can find great festivals, concerts, and art events around you that can get you all out of the house and into the fresh air.
3. Make family time consistent. Schedule time for family activities on the calendar each week.
Even better, make this a regular part of your routine. Think of it as a must-do item for the week, and make it happen.
4. Set up a family photo session
Set up a fun family photo session, which may include a picnic or going to a park, and then spend time together as a family to look through the photos.
You will create memories, which can last a lifetime.
5. Take advantage of technology
Taking family photos and videos is another way to enjoy family time, especially for people with kids.
They are a great way to relive moments with the kids.
By breaking the rules and spending time together, you will be giving your children the time they need to develop their social skills, improve their self-esteem, and learn the importance of a supportive family environment.
As a bonus, you will have tons of fun doing it.
Being a busy person with several projects and commitments at work can be stressful, to say the least
In this fast-paced era, people are constantly on the run to achieve their goals.
Therefore, it’s not surprising that there is an increase in stress levels, and people’s relationships and communication skills have suffered as a result.
There is a direct relationship between happiness and stress because being happy makes you feel better.
This theory is also backed up by research conducted by the University of California in San Francisco, in which a group of young men was taught to perform ‘happy body’ exercises for 12 weeks and after that, they found that their levels of stress hormones significantly dropped.
According to research by the Mayo Clinic, when your family is happy together, you are likely to be more stressed-out than when you’re away.
A study conducted by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital found that close relationships with family members can help reduce the negative effects of stress.
This research concluded that the benefits of having family members around us such as having positive interactions with them reduce the level of stress in our lives.
Other studies also proved that positive support systems like family members and friends can help reduce stress, keep us happier, improve our ability to cope with stress, and even enhance our immune system.
However, this doesn’t mean that having family members around all the time is always a good thing, especially if they are not supportive and kind.
