Whatever your attitudes are to things like wellness, it’s essential to remember that when you’re responsible for people who haven’t yet solidified their view of the world, you will need to get out of your own way and stop projecting your perception of wellness onto them.
This is why we need to remember that working together as a family can do a whole heap of good for your relationships and their sense of self. Wellness activities can foster stronger bonds, promote healthy habits, and, of course, enhance overall well-being.
Here’s some of the best activities that you can do together:
Outdoor Adventures
If you outline and plan your upcoming outdoor adventure travel itinerary in your camping journal every single year, it’s important to remember that you are benefiting your family. Also, remember that outdoor activities provide opportunities for exercise while ensuring that you’re all connecting not just with each other but with nature as well.
There’s a lot more focus on the benefits of being outside these days. In addition to vitamin D, you can enhance your sleep quality, reduce your risk of chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes and obesity, as well as improve your focus, creativity, and encourage mindfulness. Being outdoors is an excellent way to ease some low-lying physical or psychological issues.
Family Game Nights
Some families absolutely loathe the idea of family game nights, but they offer a range of health benefits that extend beyond a bit of arguing over the Monopoly board. If you’re incorporating active games like charades or even active video games, this is going to promote exercise and movement, which can release endorphins.
But we also need to remember that game nights often result in a lot of enjoyment and laughter, which can significantly reduce feelings of anxiety and depression. Social interaction provides emotional support, which also can mean your children may develop a more positive outlook, while family game nights encourage face-to-face interaction, which is essential for developing effective communication skills (something that can be severely lacking in the age of social media).
But we also need to remember that playing games together teaches all of us about the concept of winning gracefully and handling losses with dignity, and this emotional learning is crucial for developing resilience, as well as empathy.
Cooking Classes
If you want to participate in cooking sessions together, you can, of course, learn about healthy eating, and as a family you can work together as a team to achieve so much because you start to learn about your real bonding interests, while also learning to cook ensures people have independent skills.
We also need to remember that if you are someone who is pushing that sense of togetherness to the point that everybody feels like it’s enforced family time, a skill like cooking is fantastic for kids who are transitioning into adulthood or the teenage years. They need to develop self-sufficiency in the kitchen.
Of course, there are so many wellness activities that we could list here, but as far as the best bang for your buck is concerned, these three are hard to beat if you want a stronger unit.
