How to improve family coexistence: 7 useful tips and habits

Different tips and recommendations on how to improve family coexistence on a daily basis.

Living together as a family is sometimes not easy. There are different factors that explain these disputes that can appear in the family context: the age of its members, the degree of intimacy, the spaces, the degree of kinship, inner conflicts, personality types, etc.

In this article we will propose various guidelines on how to improve family coexistence, especially within the home.. As we will see, these will focus on dedicating quality time to the family, establishing rules and promoting healthy communication, among others.

Living together as a family

As we know, family relationships are not always easy. Although we can be very comfortable with our family, exchanging experiences, sharing good moments... Sometimes disputes, arguments, conflicts and misunderstandings arise naturally in the family context..

Sometimes this is influenced by the fact of living together (in the same household) or not with family members. In other words, it is not the same to have a relationship with a distant cousin (whom we hardly see) as it is to live with a sibling. The small "frictions" of the day to day, the coexistence, the tasks of the house, the shared spaces, the personality of each one, etc., can generate certain problematic situations. But, how to improve the family coexistence?

How to improve family coexistence?

In this article we explain some guidelines on how to improve family coexistence. Each one of them, if applied, should be adapted to each specific case.since "each family is a world".

1. Find times to talk

A first guideline we propose is to find times during the day to talk with the other members of the family. The ideal is to propose a time during the day, for example in the evening, after dinner, where the family can get together and talk about how the day went, something that happened, small worries, etc.

The idea is that you can talk informally with the children, with the father, the mother, etc., and that there is a small space for each one to express how he/she is feeling.. Communication is an essential tool for creating well-being in groups, increasing trust and strengthening the bond between members.

2. Sharing hobbies

Another guideline that we propose on how to improve family coexistence is to hobbies or interests that we may have in common with another family member. with another family member. The ideal is to look for common ground, especially with those members of the family with whom we get along the worst, or with whom we have had more moments of tension lately, a certain degree of estrangement, etc.

It can be for example between a mother and her son. The hobby in question can be done inside or outside the home (for example going for a walk, going to the cinema, doing puzzles...), and it can also be a good option to find a "fixed" day of the week to do this activity. Logically, it has to be an activity that both parties really like and that is done for pleasure, not "out of obligation".

3. Establish rules

Another guideline that tries to give an answer to how to improve the family coexistence consists in establishing certain rules, especially within the home. This guideline can be useful especially if you have young children or teenagers.

Rules can be agreed upon by the whole family (always taking into account the children's age and/or developmental level). These rules can include, for example: curfews (especially in adolescents), distribution of household chores, other types of schedules, things that can be done inside the house and things that cannot, etc.

4. Distribution of household chores

In relation to the previous guideline, we suggest another related one; the distribution of household chores. This can be a good way to give responsibility to the children, so that they gain autonomy, so that they are clear about what things they should do, and so that they are clear about what they should do.This can be a good way to give children responsibilities, to gain autonomy, to be clear about what they should do and when (especially to avoid disputes and arguments), etc.

How to improve family coexistence through the distribution of tasks? By assigning specific roles and times to perform tasks, through prior agreement among family members, etc.

If each member of the family is clear about which tasks should be performed and when, this can facilitate coexistence, because working as a team and the fact of having responsibilities (especially among the youngest ones) is always beneficial for personal autonomy. for personal autonomy.

5. Encourage healthy communication

It seems obvious, but many times, especially when we have been living with someone for a long time, we can maintain inadequate communicative interactions. This means: talking badly to the other person (sometimes without realizing it), not listening to him/her, not showing interest in what he/she explains to us, etc.

This may be due to the tiredness of everyday life, to our own discomfort for other reasons (bad mood), etc. If we learn to communicate correctly, to listen and to be attentive to what is being explained to us, all this can improve family coexistence, because the atmosphere will be more relaxed and more respectful among family members..

6. Share meals/dinners

Another guideline on how to improve family coexistence has to do with shared time at home. You don't have to have lunch and dinner together every day, but it can be a beneficial option to agree on at least one or two days a week to have lunch or dinner together as a family..

In addition, to ensure that this shared time is quality time, one tip is to put the cell phones in a box before starting lunch or dinner (and not to use them while at the table).

7. Spend quality time

As we can see, if we want to know how to improve family coexistence, it is necessary to know how to dedicate quality time to the other members of the family. Moreover, it is important to emphasize that it is not only important to dedicate time to the family, but that this time must be quality time. This guideline encompasses some of the previous ones, and is intended to be a global guideline that guides family dynamics.

In this way, quality time is that where family members listen to each other, look each other in the eye, are attentive to what the others are explaining, show interest in each other, are not thinking about other things, or are not thinking of other things.They are not thinking about other things or doing other activities other than sharing that particular moment with the family, etc. These moments include all of the above (hobbies, meals, relaxation...), and ideally they should be maintained over time.

Bibliographical references:

• Lledias, E. (2001). Diagnosis on elements that facilitate and inhibit coexistence in the family, in communes 13, 14, 15 and 21 of the city of Cali. Municipality of Santiago de Cali.
• Rentería, E., Lledias, E., and Luz, A. (2008). Family coexistence: an approximate reading from elements of social psychology. Diversitas: perspectives in psychology, 4(2): 427-441.