Healthy families don't just happen naturally, they are developed and nurtured over time. A healthy family has learned how to deal with life's daily ups and downs as well as how to cope with the unexpected.Communication
Learning to be open with one another is the first beginning step to a healthy family. Communicating your needs and caring for the needs of one another is a major undertaking but not impossible. Sharing is a healthy part of friendship. There are many great strategies for communicating with one another. If your family is having problems communicating consider rephrasing and asking questions to clarify what someone means or to get a better understanding of the situation.
Honesty
Honesty follows communication in that if a family is honest with one another there is no need for secrecy and lies. Families that are honest are much closer and tend to spend more time together than families that build their foundation on lies and deceit.
Fun
Having fun together is a great way to build the family relationship. The family that plays together stays together. Spending time playing with the kids and having fun will build a strong foundation for the family unit. Whether you're spending time outside or inside quality fun time is a must for a healthy family relationship.
Commitment
If we can't depend on family who can we depend upon? Family should be able to count on one another through hard times and fun times as well. Just as a married couple should be committed to one another, so should family. The feeling of trust, belonging and unity will go far in helping a family cope with day to day issues in life.
Appreciation
Family members all want to feel appreciated. Just like you want your spouse to appreciate you, the children also need to feel appreciated. When our daughter was about two years of age, I would tell her, "Thank you, I appreciate it". It sounded so cute when she started repeating it back to us. She learned the value of appreciation and that she is appreciated.
Togetherness
Spending time together is important to build a strong family relationship. How many people do you know that have no contact with their family whatsoever? It's so sad to think that so many people will grow old alone and not have any family around them in the end.
Strategies to deal with stress
Dealing with stress can be a huge challenge. Remember to stay calm, stay flexible and have a sense of humor. Things will change form day to day but family is forever. Stress is never easy but as a family we can learn to help each other through stressful times.
Wellness
Wellness can be broken down into physical, spiritual and emotional. A healthy family will have an even balance of wellness. Sharing a healthy diet, belief system and goals. Spiritual wellness is the ability to learn to look outside of oneself to share similar values and a similar belief system. When these work together well there is an emotional nurturing of the spirit that develops the mind and body and family unit.
Positive Attitude
Keeping a positive attitude about life and it's happenings will help to establish and overall sense of well being in a family.
Resilience
Bouncing back no matter what has happened has helped many a family cope with a difficult situation. Strong healthy family remain flexible and are able to adjust to the myriad of changes that occur on a daily basis in life.
Whether your family is a blended family or a family that has never been broken these characteristics will define a healthy family and help them to focus on the overall enjoyment of family.