Family can be complicated. It’s easy to drift apart from family members- those within your own home and those outside of it. You may feel the weight of this disconnection and want to do all you can to reconnect.
Perhaps you know that time is ticking and you want family members to know your children. Maybe you just miss the feeling of getting together and having fun. This thanksgiving is a great opportunity to start reconnecting. Here’s how you can do it.
Learn To Listen
It’s difficult to accept others' points of view, especially when they are so far from your own. However, just because you have differing opinions, it doesn’t mean you have to get into an argument. Most people just want to be listened to rather than hear anyone else’s opinion.
It can help to practice simply sitting and listening to what someone else has to say. Refrain from commenting too much. If what is said doesn’t resonate with you, forget all about it.
Send Invitations
Thanksgiving is a time of celebration and thankfulness. It’s the perfect opportunity to invite friends and family to your home for a meal. You may even be thinking about how to share the gospel with family during Thanksgiving.
Remember to offer a warm welcome and treat everyone with kindness. Simple acts of kindness can have a big impact on people. You may find that you’ve all had a change of heart by the time everyone leaves.
Be Present
If you’re spending time with family and friends during Thanksgiving, make sure you’re present in the moment. It’s hard to switch off from other commitments, like work, and checking in on social media may be a habit. When you want to be fully present, turn your work emails off.
Put your phone or other devices away until your family and friends leave. One of the best ways of connecting and staying in the moment is to play board games. That being said, if your family gets competitive, you may want to avoid board games.
Lose Your Expectations
Many of us are guilty of putting certain expectations on family and friends. We often hold people to unattainable levels of perfection. When it comes to reconnecting with your family, lose all of your expectations.
It can help to try and start with a clean slate. When you don’t expect anything from someone, good or bad, it will be easier to make amends.
Practice Empathy
Empathy allows you to understand the other person and how they are feeling. When you’re able to empathize with someone, it gives you the emotional maturity to move on from hurtful situations. Try your best to understand someone else’s side, even when you’ve been hurt yourself.
If a family member or friend starts talking about something that hurt them, it could be their way of trying to communicate and reconnect too. Forgiveness is a wonderful thing.
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