This is how you can strengthen your bond with family during the COVID-19 pandemic

Now, that the world is at a pause because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, most of us are stuck at home. Even though these unprecedented times are proving to be unfortunate, it has also given us a much-needed change. The ones that are privileged enough to be at home without having to worry about survival and sustenance should use this time properly. A family plays a major role in a person’s well-being. If the environment at home is tensed, a person will be distracted and stressed. One does not get enough time to spend with their family in daily life due to commitments and responsibilities. Hence, you must use this time to reconnect with your loved ones by spending some quality time with them and strengthening your bond.

Some of you might even have estranged relationships with your family members. You may have a sibling you readily get into arguments with or parents whom you love but are not emotionally close to. Well, this is the perfect time to work on those bonds as both, you and your family, are free at home. 

You must not give up on them unless you belong to a toxic household. The meaningful time spent with your family will also help you unravel many things about yourself. You will have some wholesome moments to look back to.

Here are a few ways in which you can productively use the quarantine to strengthen your bond with your family

1. Have meaningful conversations with them

If you have not been emotionally close to your family until now, take a chance and do it this once. Try opening up about small things to gauge their reaction and if it goes well, continue doing it. These heartfelt conversations from your side will also encourage them to open up emotionally. As they force us to stay alone with our thoughts most of us are looking for an outlet for these pressing emotions. Having wholesome conversations with your family will help you gain a better perspective on life and bring you closer to them. This is necessary for bonding because it is not through surface-level conversations that one grows close, but these meaningful conversations where you open up. It can prove to be a liberating experience for both parties involved.  

2. Play games together

To balance out the intense conversations, do some light and fun stuff with your family. Relive your childhood days by playing board games like scrabble, carrom, etc. or games like in-house hide-and-seek, badminton, and dumb charades. In fact, the entire family can also play online games like ludo, business, and pubg if you can somehow convince them. Such activities will also help you with your boredom. And if you have a competitive family, the experience will be much more exciting and fun. 

3. Do art and craft together

Living together can also annoy, given that everyone is up in everyone’s space and barely any alone time. This can lead to more fights and arguments. Art and craft related activities are therapeutic and hence can help in relieving tension and annoyance. Convince your family members, even the grumpiest ones, and get everyone to experiment with paintbrushes and colors. Doing such activities together can be a joyful way to kill time. If you do not wish to sit together in one room and partake, do it individually and share your artwork later with your family members. You all can make jokes and laugh about how your art does not look like it is supposed to. 

4. Learn to cook new things together

During quarantine a lot of us have taken to cooking to pass time. Cooking can be a lot less work and a lot more fun when you are doing it with a cheerful company. Try new recipes and maybe play songs in the background to make it more fun or else just have conversations together. Once done, enjoy the delicious food with your entire family. Even if the dish turns out to be disastrous, just laugh about it for the next few days. 

5. Go on road trips together

During the pandemic, when you cannot go out with your friends because of safety reasons, go out with your family. Now, you no longer have to miss the outdoors because you can go for a road trip with your family for a day or longer, depending on your convenience. Going in your own car will be safer as you won’t be coming into anyone’s contact. Listen to songs, enjoy the weather, appreciate the scenery, and cherish the company of your loved ones. You can explore hidden places in nature and have a picnic there or go camping if you and your family feel adventurous. 

6. Go on, show binging sprees

If you have been meaning to finish a show but couldn’t or the other, this is the perfect time to binge-watch it. It would be even better if you watch it with your family. Select shows that are many seasons long, like Lost and Walking Dead, as you have adequate time to finish them. This will be a pleasant experience. And once you have finished watching all the seasons with your family, all of you can discuss it together. This will give you additional topics to talk about and a reason to be in each other’s company. You can also watch movies if you do not want to watch shows together. 

7. Have meals together

Given everyone’s different schedules, eating together at the dining table has become a thing of the past. During quarantine, even if you cannot partake in the activities mentioned above, at least try to have meals together as a family. Do not bring your phones to the table. It does not matter if you hold conversations while eating or not, you just have to enjoy each other’s presence there. The mere company of your loved ones will make eating no less than a pleasant activity.   

8. Stay fit together

Exercising and staying fit can be daunting, but having someone accompany us can boost our resolve. This way, you can become each other’s motivation to do it even when you are feeling lazy. You do not have to do rigorous workouts; going on power walks or strolls will suffice. Take long walks with your family or do some jogging to stay fit during the quarantine. You can also try yoga as a group activity and then chuckle at each other’s postures. 

Do not let this excruciating quarantine to take a toll on your mental health. Use this time to reconnect with the ones who are near you and also with the ones you have lost touch with. Spend this quarantine period carefully as this is once in a lifetime opportunity. You will see it as a blessing in disguise. Try to be productive and learn new things, but not at the cost of your family time. You can always take a break from your daily schedule and rejuvenate yourself by spending time with your family.