Being a family-oriented individual entails more challenges than meets the eye. Balancing expectations from both your family and yourself can often lead to feelings of inadequacy and guilt. But what exactly does it mean to be a good family person or improve for your family? The definition varies from person to person, but there are several key factors that can contribute to becoming a better individual for your family.
It’s all about taking small steps and demonstrating genuine care for your family members. Perfection isn’t attainable, nor should it be a goal.
If you’re seeking ways to enhance your role within your family, you’re already on the right path. Even seemingly small actions can have a significant impact on your family dynamics.
Here, we’ve compiled a list of strategies to help you become a better family member.
Contents
- 1 How To Be Better Person For Your family
- 1.1 1. Try not to yell and watch your tone
- 1.2 2. Think about how you feel and why you feel that way.
- 1.3 3. Treat people as you want to be treated
- 1.4 4. Show some gratitude
- 1.5 5. Help out your family members
- 1.6 6. Apologies
- 1.7 7. Practice empathy
- 1.8 8. Be Supportive
- 1.9 9. Be a Good Listener
- 1.10 10. Spend some quality time with your family
- 1.11 11. Don’t dig up past mistakes
- 1.12 12. Take care of your happiness
- 1.13 13. Create healthy boundaries
- 1.14 Conclusion
How To Be Better Person For Your family
1. Try not to yell and watch your tone
This is one of the biggest things when it comes to maintaining relationships. Sometimes misunderstanding happens and arguments are created not because of what you are saying but how you are saying it.Be as calm as you can be and you will find many arguments can be avoided and much more conflicts would be resolved. It also has much to do with anger, you can get angry but you can project that anger onto your family members in an aggressive manner. This means try not to yell or lash out violently because nobody is going to listen to you if you are yelling.Present your feelings and thoughts as calmly as possible. If someone has violated your boundary try to make them understand how you feel and that they shouldn’t do such things in the future. Just remember that screaming won’t make anything better for anyone.
2. Think about how you feel and why you feel that way.
Sometimes we can’t process our feelings and they can be projected wrongly onto someone else. For example, you might be upset about something that happened in your workspace and you brought that on your family members. This is one of the biggest reasons for fights in a house.To avoid such things, you should take some moments and analyze your feelings and why you are feeling that way.This also means that if something is bothering you about one person, you should talk it out to them and not bottle up and make it worse later.The more you are clear about your feelings the better it will be for you and everyone in your family. This will also reduce conflicts and misunderstandings.
3. Treat people as you want to be treated
This is a life mantra and it stands true for your family members as well. If you can’t stand someone lying to you then you don’t want to lie to someone else. If you want your family members to respect you then you will have to respect them as well.This also stands true for kids or elders in your family. For example, if you treat your kid with disrespect just because you are an elder or their parent you can’t expect them to treat you with respect either.In short, if you are treating someone poorly then you are going to do the same sooner or later. So follow the golden rule and treat people as you want them to treat you.
4. Show some gratitude
Not everyone is perfect as they also have flaws just like you do. But we are much more focused on the flaws than we are on the good behavior. This is why we should practice gratitude towards our life and the people we have in our life.You may have many complaints about your family members and so do they. But try not to overlook the good in them. Take a while to appreciate the good in your family members and show some gratitude to them as well. Appreciate all the things they do for you and how they make your life better.For example, if you are a teenager then remind yourself of the things your parents do for you daily. If you are a mom then see how your husband makes things easier for you and show you love and respect. Also, see how your brother or sister helps you out in many situations. All these things would certainly help your perspective to shift a little and it will help you see the bigger picture instead of small inconveniences
5. Help out your family members
This is an underrated piece of advice. Not many people do the house chore and help out the elders or the other people in the house. Once in a while do stuff that can make it easier for other members of the house, like cleaning, helping out with dishes, and doing laundry.These are the jobs that may be assigned to one person in the house. Try to make an effort sometimes and help out your family members.You can do the little things like picking up the clothes that need to be washed, putting plates in the sink, dusting, etc. These seem like little things but can be very helpful.You can also ask your kids to do these things with you on a Sunday afternoon and you will get to spend some time with them as well.
6. Apologies
There are plenty of times when you are wrong and still don’t admit it in front of your family. This will become a big deal after a while. Especially if you are a parent, you should always apologize when you are wrong. This will teach your kids to do the same.Besides, when you apologize it always makes a difference, and becomes easier for the other person to forgive you. Apart from apologizing you should also try not to repeat the mistake and make a change.
7. Practice empathy
You should have empathy for other people, no matter if they are your family members or not. Empathy makes you a better person as you try to be in their shoes and understand their perspective better.It is much more important that you have some empathy for your family members and that you show you care. Sometimes you will have to be the understanding one and let others have their moment.Be it the kids, your spouse, or your parents you should give a thought to their actions before taking things too personally. They may have been going through something awful and they might need space or your support. Being empathetic would help you to become more understanding and emotionally available for your family.
8. Be Supportive
Family means you will be there and stick around your family members through thick and thin.There will be a time when one person in your family would need your support and you have to be there. You may not fully understand them at first but you might want to be there and make them know that you support them.Whether it’s a small thing like someone being sick, or something big like work stress, breakup, or financial stress, you should always keep checking on your family members and let them know that you will be there for them and that you support them.
9. Be a Good Listener
Sometimes all we want is to be heard and understood, that is why you need to be a good listener. While some people are naturally good listeners, others might have to put much more effort into this.Try to not give them advice or interrupt them while they are talking. Make sure you listen to them and know their side of the story or how they are feeling. Give advice when they ask you to. Also, try not to judge them while they are talking or even when they have explained themselves. If you do that they may not open up to you in the future.
10. Spend some quality time with your family
To be a family person means that you need to spend more quality time with your family. Plan a family vacation once or twice a year, celebrate holidays with your family, and show enthusiasm while planning it. You can also plan weekend activities with your kids or spouse.The more you spend time with your family the more you get to know them. Apart from this, there will be happy memories and moments to remember your whole life.
11. Don’t dig up past mistakes
One of the worst things you can do is bring up past mistakes while arguing. This is not going to end well for anyone. If you are mad at them for one thing then don’t mix that up with their past. They may have said sorry to you and are also guilty of that mistake, so bringing that up will only lead to more misunderstandings and cause more problems with your family members.
12. Take care of your happiness
While we get busy thinking about our family, we forget ourselves and our needs. You have to remember that if you are happy and healthy only then you can keep everyone around you happy and bring positive energy to the family.Try to take out time for yourself and do things that you like and enjoy. Make sure you don’t neglect your needs or feelings for too long as it won’t do any good to anyone.
13. Create healthy boundaries
Boundaries are quite important and just because you are a part of a family doesn’t mean you can cross them. Whether it’s your kids, your spouse, or your parents you should always respect your family members’ privacy and boundaries.For example, give your kids some space when they ask you to, don’t read the diaries of other members, let them come to you when they feel like it, etc. When you have healthy boundaries there will be fewer conflicts and more respect for each other.
Conclusion
These are just a few ways you can improve as a family member. While being a family person can be challenging, it’s also about making efforts and compromises for one another. Remember, you can’t be responsible for the entire family, but you can contribute positively with sincerity and genuine care.
That’s all for now. We hope you found this article helpful. Keep coming back for more content in the future!