Unhealthy habits don’t only relate to actual health concerns, but also the mental health and well-being of your familial relationships.
Recognising unhealthy habits and actively working to change them can improve both family health and relationships. The key is working together to create holistic change.
How to go about making changes
Before you go about making changes, you first need to identify the common bad habits exhibited and how they are affecting the family.
Common Unhealthy Habits to Identify
Physical activity
Not getting enough exercise contributes to a sedentary lifestyle and can affect the health of both adults and children. Spending too much time on devices can also contribute to a decrease in physical activity.
Solution: Make time for family activities, like hiking, playing sports, and even taking walks together. Not only does this promote physical exercise, but it also helps with spending time together and strengthening relationship bonds
Eating habits
This includes having too much sugar in your diet, eating a lot of processed foods, not getting enough nutrients, and not including whole foods in your diet. By not prioritising what you and your family consume can lead to negative health consequences like obesity and diabetes, among other issues.
Solution: Plan meals together and allow kids to be involved in the cooking process. Try to limit unhealthy foods. If obesity levels have reached a level of being diagnosed with a chronic condition, you may want to visit a professional to help create a plan to eat better and make better decisions. For parents and adult family members who struggle with eating well or have no time to exercise, there are concerns about diabetes and heart problems that stem from obesity. To manage this, you can be prescribed a weight loss solution, like Mounjaro or Wegovy, that helps kickstart your health improvements while you’re building a healthier, long-term routine.
For the younger members of the family, helping maintain healthy eating and engaging in physical activities can keep them healthy in their youth while preventing them from developing chronic conditions later in life.
Communication
Bad communication skills can contribute to misunderstandings and conflict in the family. Reactions to information that are too critical or acting unpredictably can lead to trauma and distrust.
Solution: Make an effort to ensure that everyone is allowed to contribute ideas to family plans. Spend time having proper conversations with each other and strengthening bonds by active listening and being kind.
Attitude
Aspects like respect, bad time management, self-discipline, negative views on learning and bad financial literacy can lead to children picking up these negative traits. It can negatively contribute to stress levels and how they approach hurdles in their own lives.
Solution: Be more open with your children, and learn from your own mistakes and bad habits. By consciously working on them, you are showing your children that they can learn and move forward despite encountering hurdles.
Relationships and Dynamics
Mental health issues can be passed down through generations, and if not addressed, it can be passed on to other family members who are unable to manage their stress and anxiety. Dysfunctional patterns like gaslighting and stonewalling can also contribute to negative mental health and feelings of mistrust. Showing conditional love or not providing enough intimacy can affect self-esteem levels.
Solution: In extreme cases, therapy might be the best solution for families, but addressing the root of these negative behaviours is the stepping stone in the right direction.
Other solutions that can help
- Families can engage in wellness activities, like mindful eating, meditation and journaling. These can help with introspection and connecting with family members. This way, you can help with identifying struggles holistically and working together to find solutions
- To do more with your family, you can join groups and family-based activities to help strengthen bonds and spend more valuable time with each other.
Strategies for change
- Lead by example: Inspire your children by adopting the behaviour you want to see in them. This creates a holistic and healthy environment that allows everyone to grow.
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