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It may feel hard to think about what possible good could come from the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re scared, confused, and want to protect and care for loved ones, but it’s hard to do outside of the immediate family. Still, some good things come up and help make our lives better. Here are some simple improvements this crisis has offered our lives and how we can embrace them for a happier and healthier family time.
Building Relationships
We all want to be closer to our families. Whether we’re nervous because our tweens are suddenly pushing us away, or we’re concerned about our place in our spouse’s lives, insecurity is common. The good thing about family time is that it allows us to reconnect and open back up. Instead of wondering from afar, we have more time to spend with loved ones finding out the truth about their lives while sharing about our own.
Good For Mental Health
Spending more time with family is great for mental health. If you feel like your time alone with your family is taxing, you must consider why. If you love them, want to learn about them, and take a real interest in life, it’s hard to find them annoying. Lively conversation, affirmations of affection, and physical reminders of love are all great for mental health.
Pulls Eyes Away From Screens
Let’s face it; we’re all a little obsessed with our screens right now. Netflix and Hulu are boasting a higher viewership than ever before, and Nintendo hit record sales several times this year because of people getting hooked. Family time means you can set aside time to get away from these screens and focus on human interaction. This change is a much-needed break that can help our eyes and hearts feel a little less strained.
Good For Grades
Family time can be productive! You could set aside some time every day for one of the rooms in your home to become a study zone. You can catch up on some work at this time, your kids can do homework, and you can play a study playlist on Youtube or Spotify. People find it easier to study when they feel they’re being held accountable by others, and you’ll feel more connected since you’re all working together.
Better For Physical Health
Spending time with our family and loved ones is better for our physical health! Hugs alone can help relax strained muscles, and minds relax. On top of this, you can run, play, and spend active time with family outside of your home. As long as you all social distance from other people, you can have fun enjoying each other’s company and getting in better shape.
Chance to Improve Community Lives
Spending time together as a family could mean that you’re able to help improve the lives of others in your community. Whether that means you spend time with your kid’s writing cards to people in retirement homes who can’t see family, or they help you pick up litter or clean up a beach- doing this together with your family can be a great way to bond and feel closer to your community.
Opportunity to Aim For Common Goal
There’s nothing like a common goal to pull people together. While social distancing, you can grow together and learn new hobbies like baking or gardening. You can also spend some time getting to know what everyone in your family likes doing! A fun way to make this work is to pick one family member a day that gets to decide how you’ll spend a creative hour in the evenings. It could be that your daughter picks colouring or that your son picks making videos- have fun with it!
Physical Affection Soothes Anxiety
When babies are born, it’s often said that skin against skin contact is the best way to help with any upset and to promote bonding. Cuddling up on the couch with your loved ones can help fuel that bonding needs as well. Curl up with your kids, watch a movie, read a book together, and show how much you love them. This physical assurance will help them deal with whatever stress is going on in their lives and help them open up to you.
Good Understanding Stops Fights
A lot of fights happen because someone feels misunderstood or misrepresented. We want to make ourselves clear, but sometimes it feels like we’re willfully ignored. Fight against this familial weakness by using this forced-together time to grow to understand your family members better. Build deeper connections, so there’s no more question about intent or meaning when someone says something. This shift will help you all feel better in the long term.
Honesty Helps In The Long Run
More honest communication, especially from parents, helps set children up for healthier teen years. Instead of nearly encouraging your child to hide things from you and lie, by doing the same, you can show your child that you expect honesty. This plan means that kids will be able to come to you when they have concerns or problems and that you can rest easy knowing that they’re not hiding anything. Being trapped together in a home without much time outside of it can force a lot of honesty on families: embrace it! It’s for the greater good of your relationships.
