Blood is thicker than water as the saying goes, and the love circulating within families is built into our genes. While familial love is thought to be unbreakable, building relationships with family members still takes a degree of care and attention.
Most of us can rest easy knowing that our family has our back, but the best personal relationships are the result of all parties putting in the effort, time and care to take things to the next level.
If you’re looking to boost the vibes in your family, the good news is that if you’re so much as thinking about this topic, then you’re half the way there. It’s one of those things where effort counts for a great deal.
Keep reading for 4 ways you can boost the bond in your family!
#1 – Bring People Together
We often think that families in the past were more tight-knit than they are today and that’s probably true! In our fast paced lives, it’s more difficult than ever before to make time to gather with our loved ones.
Whether it be the fact we are all working longer hours than ever before, or a combination of many other demands on our time, getting together with our families is getting harder with each year that passes.
If the members of your family are difficult to get together, then the first thing you can do is take a proactive approach to making it happen! Perhaps you agree to schedule a weekly BBQ, host a regular movie night or a monthly picnic – whatever you propose, make sure you keep following through with the plans until they become a fixture in your family’s schedule.
#2 – Celebrate the good times
We’re all way too familiar with the aspects of life that you can’t avoid, such as working, paying bills and taking care of household chores. And it’s easy to allow the burdensome elements of life to outweigh the good times if we’re not careful!
To counteract some of life’s hassles, it’s beneficial to spend as many good times with your family as you can. Whether it be making a big deal of Christmas, birthdays or other special days, make the effort to celebrate people individually, too, such as by buying Father’s Day and Mother’s Day gifts.
Remember that it’s the thought that counts, and some of these heartfelt gifts, no matter how small can be cherished for many years to come.
#3 – Lift people up
Life can be difficult and it’s easy to get swallowed up by the madness of it all. To navigate life as well as we can, then we need to have people in our corner who can support us through the ups and downs throughout the decades.
Of course, while we all want the support network behind us, you also have to create that support network and be a lynch-pin of it for others. So make sure you’re giving your family all the support and encouragement they need. You’ll be on the way to creating a stable and beneficial network for the long term.
#4 – Open environment
You can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your family. Sorry! Even though there will be certain characteristics that will be similar across a family, everyone is of course, an individual.
Respect for the differences is one of the keys to creating a happy and healthy family environment. While your brother might have some wacky interests, and your cousin might have a strange way of dressing, in order to have a functioning, loving family, everyone needs to feel free to be themselves.
Avoid the temptation to judge or criticise. Make sure that everyone in your family can be their true selves when they’re at home.
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