Communication includes paying attention and reacting to what others are conveying to you, verbally and non-verbally. In a family, communication is extremely important because you don’t choose your family and there is a huge room for miscommunication. Family members have to feel comfortable enough to express their needs, wants, and opinions to each other. While a lot of people are under the impression that families communicate well by default, it’s often far from the actual case. Unhealthy family relationships are more common than you think, and more often than not, the reason behind it is miscommunication. If family members are unable to express their concerns and love for each other, they are slowly going to feel alienated from the family, in addition to not being able to solve any serious problems in an efficient manner. If you’re still wondering why it’s important, we’ve gathered 6 reasons that will make you want to strengthen your communication with your family.
Support
As simple as it may sound, reaching out for support or giving support is one of the pillars of any healthy family. Unlike many other relationships, family relationships are built on unconditional support and love, which is a scarce thing to come by. Emotional support from family members can make us feel better about ourselves and allow us to share our good and bad moments with someone we love. You can also get esteem support that allows you to pick up the pieces and feel validated when you aren’t doing well.
Creating Tight Bonds
A family that doesn’t communicate enough or healthily starts to grow apart as time passes. Fostering the love you share with communication creates an early healthy environment that allows your bonds to grow stronger with time, so even if you don’t meet as much as you did in the past, you still have fond memories and bonds that will pass the test of time. Whenever a problem comes up, no matter when or where you are, you’ll always find support and love that can help you feel safe and sheltered. As mentioned on Vertellis, a few game nights and traveling together can immensely tighten the bonds between family members. It’s a gradual process, but it can always be fun and enjoyable. It’s natural for families to grow a little bit distant as each individual gets wrapped in their own lives, but knowing that you have people that you can always depend on and come to for support is a great bond to have.
Sense of Belonging
Humans are genetically wired to seek companionship and to feel that they belong. This is why a lot of successful organizations, groups, and even gangs focus on creating a family, albeit an artificial one. This sense of belonging can help people feel like they have a safety net that they can always rely on. You don’t have to offer anything in return for support and love in families. This is one of the foundational pillars of any healthy family.
Providing Insight
A true family finds no problem sharing their insights on a specific subject, without holding back any important information that could benefit the other member. This helps create a network of shared experience that each family members can contribute to and take advantage of whenever they need. Asking a family member how they managed to solve a problem or land a certain job will give you the true insight you need to be able to do it on your own. Making an informed decision based on such insight will help you a lot in a difficult situation where you don’t know who to turn to.
Dealing with Gossip
The larger a family is, the more gossiping there is. There isn’t exactly a way to end gossiping once and for all, but it’s possible to limit it and create an environment of open communication. The details of any topic can become more convoluted as they keep getting passed through the grapevine. Healthy communication between family members can help remove wrong impressions and limit gossiping to a healthy level.
Raising Concerns
If a family isn’t communicating properly, any concern raised can be mistakenly assumed hostile or underhanded. This can also cause the situation to become worse, blocking potential paths of improvement to family members. If members are constantly communicating, concerns are dealt with rationally, whether they’re about a potential problem or an emergency.
There are numerous things that healthy families can take advantage of thanks to effective communication. Families aren’t perfect and they’re not supposed to be, but through communication, they get to be the best support and safety nets an individual can have. Always take the time to tighten the bonds between your family members because it’s one investment that you can always fall back on.
