During a pandemic, some people have no option but to self-isolate and others are put into quarantine to get better control of the disease and stop its spread. These extreme measures can put a strain on some relationships, especially closely-knit families who see each other often and do things together. In some cases, a parent has to be isolated from their kids, and that can profoundly affect parent-child relationships. Staying connected during a pandemic is very important for families. By just practicing a few habits, you and your family can come out of a pandemic even stronger than before. Here are some practical ways to encourage you stay connected with your family when self-isolating:
Talk about the situation
Talking is the healthiest way of dealing with any issues related to emotions. If you want your relationships to survive a pandemic lockdown or to repair fractured relations, you have to take some time to talk to your loved ones. Talk about the disease and why it is essential to maintain a period of isolation. Go on to discuss in detail how the separation will go and what methods of communication you will adopt to stay in touch. Make it a must to give each other regular updates until the period of isolation is over.
Check-in with texts and video calls
Check on your loved ones through regular texts and video calls. We live in the technology era, which makes it possible to remain connected with people regardless of the distance. It is even possible to have group calls where the whole family can participate in different locations.
Play online games together
Staying connected with family does not mean talking and chatting alone. You have to incorporate other activities that you can do together. Playing games online, together as a family, can maintain the connection needed to get through a lockdown with minimum damage. There are different kinds of games online to suit various family interests. Depending on the sort of things you like as a family, you can play board games, sports games, role play, strategy, adventure, etc.
Work on a family project from a distance
Another way to reconnect with family members is to start a family project. A family project will ensure that you frequently communicate as a family. It will also bring about some challenges that you will have to work together to overcome, thereby uniting the family. The family project does not have to be complicated; it could be starting a family YouTube channel, blogging, or business. You could also start preparing the family’s genealogical tree.
Plan a future family get-together or vacation
While you are in self-isolation or lockdown, try to work together as a family to plan the next gathering or family vacation. You can give each other tasks to do and make decisions together until the whole plan comes along. Planning together gives family members the feeling of being loved and being relevant, which plays a significant role in building connections and reconnecting for those who had lost touch.
Help each other with goals and resolutions
Encourage each other in coming up with goals and resolutions. Discuss and establish each other’s vision board and come up with a mutual vision board as a family. Help each other evaluate past achievements and failures and map up new objectives for when the pandemic is over. By being involved in each other’s lives, you build a stronger bond, guaranteed to withstand any crisis that may threaten to shake your walls.
Time to forgive and reunite
A time of crisis is an excellent opportunity to tackle past hurts. Talk about these issues openly with the relevant family member and forgive or ask forgiveness where necessary. Paradoxical, though it may seem, a pandemic is an opportune moment to mend and start over any broken or wounded relationship with other family members. It may hurt at first, when dealing with these issues, especially if there were deeply buried emotions, but the intense feeling of relief and restoration will be liberating once relationships are mended.
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