HealthyLife Articles

Tag: values

  • Build A Strong Family Foundation

    FAMILY LIFE

    Family gardening together.

    Happy families have a strong foundation. This helps parents and children deal with changes and hard times. Every family faces challenges and stress. Here’s how to protect your family from whatever life throws at you.

    Show love through attention

    Connect with your kids or spouse each day. Take time to ask about their day or do an activity together. Have family meals when you can, play games or take walks together. Avoid being on screens too much, when no one is talking or noticing one another.

    Be open to learning

    Having a strong family takes knowledge and care. No one knows everything about families and relationships. Parents can take classes about child development. See a marriage counselor if your marriage is having trouble. You can also look into support groups. Ask your family’s doctor if you need help dealing with specific challenges.

    Care for yourself

    If you get burned out, you can’t help others in your family. Take quiet time to listen to music, take a bath or do whatever relaxes and calms you. Get regular exercise, such as walking, and include family members if you can. Talk to a trusted friend when you’re stressed or overwhelmed.

    Build your community

    Connect with others who understand and support you. Join a sports team, a group or a religious organization that supports family life. Community can make life fun and help you learn from others, too.

    Be open about problems

    If you’re stressed and need some time alone, tell your spouse or your kids. Explain that you need some time to calm down, rather than blowing up or feeling resentment toward them.

    Don’t overschedule

    Try to keep your activities and family calendar reasonable. When everyone is too busy, there’s not much time to connect.

    Sources: American Academy of Family Physicians, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Create A Family Mission Statement

    FAMILY LIFE

    Family sitting together talking.

    A family mission statement defines your core values & priorities. It’s a useful tool to bind your family together for a common purpose.

    Gather as a family to talk about what you value most. Brainstorm words that best describe your family dynamics and priorities.

    Ask good questions

    *  What is our family’s purpose?

    *  What do we love to do together?

    *  What makes our family unique?

    *  What legacy do we hope to leave?

    Create a draft

    Identify themes from your conversations together and write a mission statement. The statement can be a paragraph, bullet points, or phrases that capture your family.

    Reflect & refine

    Take time to reflect on your first draft and see if it fits your family. Talk about what you’ve put together and get feedback. Adjust and refine as needed.

    Finalize & display

    Your mission statement doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should accurately reflect your family’s core values and goals. Display it somewhere visible.

    Update

    As your family grows and changes, your mission statement should change, too. Your values and goals will naturally evolve over time.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Helping Teens Stay Drug-Free

    FAMILY LIFE

    Father and teen son smiling.

    Most parents don’t want to think about their teen using drugs. They assume their teen is doing OK. They may also think it would be obvious if their teen was into drugs or alcohol.

    Unfortunately, even teens with great parents sometimes take risks and make dangerous choices.

    Why do teens take risks?

    A teen’s brain is very sensitive to emotions and doing things that feel good. Plus, their brains aren’t fully developed yet.

    This means they are not ready to make rational decisions all the time. They may also struggle with mental health issues like depression or anxiety. It can be all too easy to slip into using drugs or alcohol.

    What can parents do?

    A good relationship with your teen is important. This can help them feel they can talk to you about challenges they are facing. This also means they might come to you if they have a problem with drugs or alcohol. Here are some tips to help you stay connected:

    *Be a great listener.Talk with your teen about their daily life. Give them a chance to express their opinion. Don’t interrupt. If they tell you something upsetting, try to remain calm. Ask them how you can help.

    *Help them find activities.Teens do well if they have an outlet for fun and stress relief. This may be music, sports, religious activities or volunteering.

    *Know your teen’s friends.Encourage your teen and their friends to hang out at your house.

    *Don’t solve their problems for them.Parents want to help their teen when they need it. But it’s often more effective to teach them skills to help them solve their own problems. If they have a fight with a friend, talk with them about ways they could work it out themselves. Offer your support but try not to step in.

    *Talk about tough stuff.Help your teen figure out what to do if they are being pressured into something. Show them that they can turn to you. Do they feel comfortable calling you if they need a ride home from a party? Can they talk to you about peer pressure and drinking?

    Source: National Institutes of Health

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Create Family Ties

    FAMILY LIFE

    Image of three generational family.

    Families who spend time together as a cohesive unit are more likely to survive a crisis, such as an illness or job loss than those with poor coping skills.

    According to the CDC, good communication between parents and children is important for developing positive relationships.

    *  Teach active listening skills. Pay attention to what others say. Ask questions if you don’t understand what your spouse or children are trying to tell you.

    *  Hold regular family meetings to present complaints and set mutual goals and plans.

    *  Celebrate birthdays, holidays and other special occasions together.

    *  Learn the value of compromise.

    *  Be flexible. This is especially important if one parent returns to work or if one wage earner loses his or her job.

    *  Allow for individual strengths and interests. Don’t compare brothers and sisters. Allow family members to have “their own space.”

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Create Your Ethical Will

    WELL-BEING

    Image of older man sitting at desk.

    You may not be able to take it with you, but you can let the generations to come know what you valued if you create an ethical will.

    An ethical will can be a vital component of an estate plan because it reflects your concerns and hopes for the next generation. Most wills mainly focus on distributing assets and deciding who gets what. An ethical will provides families with the chance to know their loved ones better and for the writer to express what often goes unsaid.

    1. What values or beliefs are of special significance to you? Why?

    2. What are your wishes and hopes for the generations that follow you?

    3. What are your greatest life lessons? How have they influenced you?

    4. Do you have any regrets?

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine