Take Baby Steps to a Better Family Relationship…
posted in Baby Steps, Visualization |I know there are many people out there who at times find relationships within the family very straining. They think that their family being the closest to them, ought to understand, ought to be unconditional in support or even ought to giving. Relationships of any sort needs time, commitment, patience, nurturing and communication just to name a few. Never take your family for granted. They will be there for you, they will understand, they will give you support and be giving when it’s due.
Remember I shared earlier about my friend who had some challenges in his family? In my opinion, it all boils down to the very fundamentals. It always helps if you can start visualizing how a happy, united and supportive family you want to have. Just these baby steps will help you go a long way in improving your family relationship…
1) Improve Communication
Communication is the lifeblood of relationships. It is through communication that the family feel connected. That’s when time is spent on talking about trivial matters, daily activities which they want to share or even important issues of life. Take note that it is the effective communication that will help improve the family relationship. Ineffective communication will worsen any relationship. For effective communication, ensure
- you’re open, honest, yet kind
- you’re objective and deal with the problem discussed and not the person
- you clarify any messages when in doubt, otherwise it will lead to more misunderstanding
- you avoid “mind-reading” and reading between the lines
2) Spend Quality Time Together
It’s never the quantity but always the quality that matters. In the current world that we live in, there’s always so many things to do in so little time. What come may, what ever little time you can set aside for the family, make sure it’s quality time well spent. The family that spends time together helps eliminate isolation, loneliness and most importantly develops an identity or group unity). Good family memories are always built from time spent on family activites. The little things that you do together matters, like
- having meals together
- outdoor sport
- holidays and celebrating birthdays
- indoor activites like board games, fixing jigsaw puzzles
- picnics etc
3) Show Appreciation
When you start showing appreciation with your family, friends or even colleagues, it will motivate them, makes them feel good and unknowingly behave positively towards others around them. Always appreciate your family for being there, the little things that they’ve done for you or just remembering birthdays and special occasions. Showing appreciation can be as easy as
- giving credit and praise for a job well done (regardless how small it is)
- saying “I love you”, “Thank You” or even “I appreciate that”
- always looking for the positive, instead of the negative
- treating family members like your best friends
4) Strengthen Spiritual Wellness
It’s been said that spirituality is a force that can help us reach far beyond ourselves as well as become a part of something larger than ourselves. Family members who attend religious services do have a sense of power in life and togetherness. However, regardless of your spiritual orientation and beliefs, do recognise that human beings do have a spiritual dimension within them. In general, by strengthening your spiritual wellness, it will help the family
- have a positive outlook in life
- have a sense of peace and freedom help other families cope during times of need
- strengthen as a unit as it provides support of others who share similar beliefs
If you have other “baby steps” to share, especially through your personal experience or people whom you know, I’d definitely want to hear from you. In the meantime, enjoy and share with friends whom will benefit.
Have yourself a wonderful day.
Carpe Diem!
Appreciation Communication Spending Time Spiritual Wellness visualization
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