No matter what happens in your life, knowing you have someone to lean on means that you’ll be more willing to take risks and chances when there’s someone watching our back. That ‘someone’ is usually our family, people who have always been there for us, who encouraged us, supported us, and celebrated our successes. As we age, the relationship we have with our family becomes frayed and it has a bad effect on our mental health. Here’s how bonding with your family can help you become an emotionally stronger person.
Academic success
When a child has parents who continually provide support and assistance, and who are willing to guide the child through troubles and struggles, the said child will do better in school through life. This is because, at the beginning of their academic careers, children need more support, as this stage is the toughest one for them. The positive support, in the beginning, will have a positive effect in the future. In general, it’s great for any person’s mental development to spend a lot of time with their family, and children who spend a lot of time with their parents do much better in school than those who are mostly alone.
Reduce anxiety
It’s known that strong social bonds are essential in times of need for any individual. Family bonds are important for self-confidence but also for anxiety, especially in young people who are facing challenges of puberty and adulthood. When they feel insecure and when they’re afraid of the world, strong family bonds will help them overcome these difficulties, and supportive family surrounding will reduce anxiety.
A sense of belonging
Traditions, in particular, are important for establishing a sense of belonging with young children, but also with adolescents (and even when they get older). Traditions allow us to express what’s important to us, even the seemingly insignificant ones such as board game nights or watching a movie together. Paying attention to important dates is also important and picking perfect father’s day gifts, mother’s day gifts, Christmas, Easter, and birthday gifts fill children with excitement and leave them happy and content. It doesn’t matter if these little rituals aren’t perfect or if the gifts aren’t expensive, the focus is in warmth and fun and the feeling of connection between family members that everyone will cherish.
Build confidence
Families should have a strong emotional core, and family members should know that even the simplest tasks and chores such as shopping and preparing a meal carry a subtle message that teamwork is important and that each task becomes more enjoyable when you’re doing it with a family member. Children who are actively included in the life of their family later have higher levels of social responsibility and understand the importance of cooperation much better than their peers.
Healthy habits
The connections with our family also play a huge role in our general health and well-being. When you spend a lot of time outside with your family, you begin to value not only the closeness that develops between you all but also the healthy lifestyle you’ve embraced along the way. This is the reason why family holidays, weekend getaways, and even brief walks and picnics in the nearby park are so important. Speaking of picnics, this research states that nearly 40% of people reported that their nutrition is affected and influenced by their friends and family. Doing sports together will teach you to rely on each other and it will do wonders for your mental and physical health too.
It’s important to understand that no family is perfect and that there will always be something we disagree on with our parents, siblings, and cousins. Still, that doesn’t mean that you should give up trying to build meaningful relationships with them. When you have a great relationship with your family, you will be calmer and much more confident in life.
Guest Blogger
Diana Smith, she can be reached at dianasmith.dany@gmail.com or her Google+
