How to Become Closer with Your Family During Coronavirus Lockdown

coronavirus lockdown
coronavirus lockdown

Surviving a lockdown itself is not exactly an experience everyone would want to have. We miss our friends, our routine that begins with leaving our houses, traveling, being social, and having actually some activity going on.

Some people, however, are going through something even more complicated. Being stuck with the same people in one place can drive anyone crazy. The situation gets even worse if we consider that it is your family we are talking about.

There are two kinds of people: the ones who are in quarantine with their kids, and adults who had to move back in with their parents. The first ones are suffering from homeschool and keeping the children entertained. The second ones are feeling like they are being kids again and are trying their best to keep their freedom to themselves.

We are so focused on the bad sides of the situation that we do not have the time to notice what a beautiful time it is. Finally, we can become closer with our families!

It happens a lot that we do not really know who they are, the people you have grown up with, or the kids who you are raising. We are involved in so many social activities throughout the day. We are forced to talk to our colleagues, then we have long chats with clients and meet our friends for a beer or wine afterward. When we come home, our social battery is at its lowest. We just want to be silent and watch TV or browse on the Internet. Consequently, there is no time and mental space to really get to know your family.

We have prepared nice and effective tips on how to become closer with your family during coronavirus lockdown.

#1 Have a Family Dinner

Family Dinner
Family Dinner

Make it a tradition or a rule – you name it. Normally, everyone in the family has their own schedule so it is hard to find the perfect time for having a meal together that is comfortable for everyone. Yet, by skipping meals together, we miss out a lot. Dining together has a lot of benefits, as:

  • family meals are more nutritious
  • children have a wider variety of food, which makes it less like that they will become picky eaters
  • parents can become an example. Show your kids the way you eat and what you eat
  • they bring the feeling of belonging and boost up your self-esteem
  • it is less likely that you eat a lot since you talk more and eat slowly.

And it is only the beginning of the list! So that everyone can enjoy the time that you spend together, we advise you to explain to your family why common meals are important. Also, try to find out what their food preferences are. When someone is not satisfied with the dishes and is hungry, there is a high chance that they will not attend the next dinner or that they will be angry, therefore aggressive and looking for the conflict.

Things are getting a bit messy when you cook for many people. So do not hesitate to ask for help with cleaning. You can divide the family into cooking and cleaning teams as well.

#2 Work Together

It is not about attending the Zoom meeting together, of course. While doing the chores, you can get to know each other better, feel united, be less stressed about the amount of work you have to do, and to develop the skill of working in a team.

Chores do not really sound fun, huh? They can though. Here are some ways to make it less of trouble than it seems:

  • make a small competition out of it. The first one to do the chores can make a wish!
  • a little party never killed nobody is coursing through your veins while you are dancing your way into cleaning the floor. That is not that wild kind of a concept
  • get rewards. There can be a system of points for chores and the one who has got the highest score at the end of the week gets a treat

The possibilities are endless! A bit of creativity and a nightmare turns into something more sufferable.

#3 Learn From Each Other

Have you always wanted to learn Spanish but you have never got time for it? Quarantine is the high time to fix that! Ask around your family if someone is interested in getting a course together. Maybe, you will find out that someone knows the language already and can teach you.

This is applicable to any activity or a skill that you want to learn, to get, or to improve. Learning something together will make room for some quality time together and a boost of motivation as well! You can control each other and even make a small competition out of it.

#4 Work Out Together

Work Out Together
Work Out Together

We all let ourselves go a bit. For a lot of people, quarantine became some kind of vicious circle of eating, watching the TV shows, and sleeping. It affects our health drastically. So it may happen that our beach bodies this season will be a bit messier than we wanted them to be.

It is understandable. Even though we do pretty much nothing, we are tired, and lazy, and can not find space to move around a lot. Family workouts can be a nice solution to this problem.

Working out has a wide range of benefits, as for example:

  • working out makes you happier and less stressed. It means you will be less likely to start a fight
  • you learn how to approach challenges as a unit
  • you go through the same experience and grow together
  • you encourage each other to exercise. It is not easy to avoid feeling guilty about skipping the yoga hour when the whole family is working out
  • you become a role model for your kids and encourage them to work out in the future
  • you always have something to talk about. “Ugh, my muscles feel so good after that stretching session”

Set a time and an activity you will all enjoy and off you go!

#5 Play Games

play games
play games

Monopoly, Dixit, Uno are great options when you get tired of technology and you do not have other things to do. Some games boost your creativity, the others help with reaction or planning beforehand. There is no need to say how much fun it is, to gather together for a session of Monopoly. It can last for hours!

To make it more personal, you can go for Would you rather, Truth or Dare, Truth or Lie, etc. These games are perfect for discovering absolutely new sides of the personalities of people you live with. They may reveal deep secrets that will certainly create a strong bond between you. Those games leave great room for discussion as well! So that after the gaming session is over, you will still have topics to talk about.

#6 Try to Listen and Understand

When in a lockdown, people get stressed pretty easily. No one knows what is going to happen tomorrow, or in a week, or in a month. We all share fears about how the world will look like after everything is over.

So if you have noticed that someone is aggressive, too silent, or is acting weird overall, try to talk to them and to find out what is the reason behind such a behavior. It is sad but when someone is acting not the way they usually do, we get scared and angry. Still, it is not the way you should react. Confrontations are the last things we need right now. Support and some kindness will do a much better job.

It may also happen that people around you are irritated by some habit you have. Maybe, you forget to turn the lights off or you are too messy, then do not get super angry when you are facing criticism. Try to talk it out without raising your voice or running around and being grumpy for the rest of the day. The same goes for when you are unsatisfied with something. Do not scream – try to keep it peaceful.

Those were six major tips that will help you to become closer with your family during the coronavirus lockdown in no time! We hope you will use your time wisely and finally put some effort into getting to know your family better.

Keep calm and stay at home!

About Author

Sandra Manson is a passionate journalist who has been contributing to major media publications. She enjoys writing about human psychology and lifestyle. Sandra also runs her blog https://singlehearts.org/ where she covers topics of great interest in modern society.