What’s life like around your house? Do you lack family harmony? Is it stressful? Maybe you spend most of your time sharing happy moments or maybe you’re stuck arguing over the same old issues. As a Holistic Family Doctor near me, I am tasked with asking those various questions to maintain the family dynamics healthy, happy, and whole. As a functional medicine doctor near me, I am trained to understand the biological impact of these stressors may have on the individuals within the family unit.
Conflicts are a natural part of family life. They can even be beneficial when handled constructively. They offer a way to teach communication within the family unit as well as in relationships, establish healthy boundaries, and of course fair fighting rules. On the other hand, a family that knows how to express love and pull together has its advantages. This provides a great deal of emotional support for children, by providing them a sense of security. You enjoy more peace and happiness and you feel gratified knowing that your children are learning how to thrive as adults. As a holistic family doctor near me, I am grateful to be able to facilitate so many families by helping them communicate more harmoniously.
You can experience greater family harmony starting today. As a functional medicine doctor near me, addresses the physiological stress caused by increase cortisol and stress response within the system that can be caused from continued arguing. If you find yourself in consistent disagreements with your family members then use these ideas to create a climate of appreciation and cooperation.
Holistic Family Doctor near me Recommends to Spend Time Together:
- Eat as a family. Strong family relationships require time and effort. Mealtimes are an ideal opportunity for staying in touch and sharing in-depth conversation. As a functional medicine doctor near me we typically recommend eating together, and sharing healthy meal habits. As a bonus, you’ll probably eat healthier too.
- Connect individually. In addition to family dinners and outings, a holistic family doctor near me recommends to schedule one-on-one time with your partner and each of your children. Try to leave home for a date night at a restaurant or local theater at least once a week. Take your daughter to a science museum and play board games with your son. This will help to build positive feelings, which in turn can help children’s neurohormonal system get off to a good start. As a functional medicine doctor near me, I often see the impact of stress response, especially from adults, with whom have experienced the emotional impact of emotionally neglectful parents at an early age.
- Stay active. If you’re like many families, you may be texting or watching TV even when you’re in the same room. Put aside the passive entertainment to go ride your bikes or visit the gym. Exercise promotes many health benefits mentally, emotionally, as well as physically. Those people who excercise often report a better mood, more relaxed demeanor, and a decreased stress response. This translates to a healthy interaction between family members. Exercise is great for building family harmony.
- Have fun. Make family gatherings and activities something you look forward to. Consider everyone’s interests when you’re planning vacations or holiday parties. As a holistic family doctor near me, I often advocate for families to plan things to look forward to, such as vacations or family vacations. This can provide a positive outlook for many of the members of the family, which can sometimes become bogged down in the drudgery of the day to day tasks.
As a holistic family doctor near me and a functional medicine doctor near me here are my suggestions to Enhance your Communications:
- Listen closely. Give your family members your full attention when they have something to say. Keep an open mind and resist the urge to interrupt. Use questions and gestures to show that you’re engaged. Practice active listening, where you listen generously not to respond but rather to understand and empathize with the other. This requires you to focus on what the person is saying, validating what they are saying, even if you don’t agree.
- Provide validation. You can acknowledge each other’s feelings even when you disagree. Let your partner and children know that you care about their concerns and share your own similar experiences when appropriate. This allows for everyone to feel heard, respected, and keeps everyone in their power. As a holistic doctor near me, I often am working with those with suppressed communication and the impact that this may cause. As a functional medicine doctor near me, what I notice is the impact of this suppressed communication on the liver, digestive, and other internal organs as increased cortisol levels inhibit the digestive system.
- Seek balance. While some family members are bound to have more power than others, you can still work at treating each individual fairly. Give children choices and ask for their input as much as possible. Make sure they feel as though their input is included. Also discuss with them about what is happening within the daily and the impact on them such as Dad is going to be working out of town, and will be back etc. Try not to make abrupt changes without proper communication as this can impact their psychology in a negative manner.
- Offer praise. Appreciate the unique strengths and abilities of each family member. Encourage your partner to talk about their accomplishments at work. Tell your children that you’re proud of them when they complete their homework or share their toys. Offering this encouragement can build self esteem, and confidence for the child.
- Teach skills. Show your children how to resolve conflicts and talk about sensitive subjects. Provide a positive role model and use techniques like role playing or watching and discussing instructional videos. Have conversations that may be difficult and exercise what tactics you use when approaching some more sensitive topics. Do you take deep breaths, do you ask for a time out, do you communicate your feelings clearly? Try and be mindful of what types of behaviors you are modeling for your kiddos.
A Holistic Family Doctor near me has a few more ideas:
- Create rituals. Holiday traditions and nightly bedtime stories encourage strong bonds. Develop your own practices that will reinforce your family values and give you a sense of belonging. This will also create consistency, stability, and what it means to be a part of a family.
- Do your share. Family harmony flourishes when each member contributes generously. Let your children know what a big difference it makes when they do their chores and watch out for their younger siblings. Divide up responsibilities with your partner based on your talents and goals. Independent children love responsibilities and love being able to help around the home. Giving them a small job also builds confidence and self esteem as they grow older.
- Plan and prepare. Sometimes you can anticipate events that may be challenging for your family to handle. Plan ahead and set some ground rules for how you’ll deal with visits from your in-laws or the first time your teen arrives home long after their curfew. Creating structures, standards, boundaries, and expectations as well as potential consequences that are clear, concise, logical consequences help support the family unit. This is also a framework of teaching personal responsibility, cause and effect, and integrity.
- Consider working with a holistic family doctor near me. Maybe you feel like you need more help, or you think an outside perspective could shed light on a recurring issue. Working with a holistic family doctor could reveal new options and give you additional tools for dealing with difficult situations. Working with a functional medicine doctor near me can also provide support on the physiology (function) and stress the body endures in the process.
You can change your family dynamics. Replace tension and arguments with collaboration and respectful conversation. Even if you have not been taught how to create a nurturing home environment you can create peace and family harmony.