Do you know about these benefits of spending time with family?

Family time brings different experiences for everyone, whether it is having daily dinners or watching a movie together in the living room, there’s a quality about it that exudes warmth like no other.

Granted, there are instances of conflict or tension in every family and family dynamics differ. However, when an individual is able to spend time in a positive family environment with mutual love, respect and communication, it can bring along certain benefits. Here are some you may not know about that may tempt you to pick up the phone and arrange a family activity right away!

Improve your mood

Did you know? Simply having regular family dinners can have an advantage over your wellbeing. According to research, a higher frequency of family meals was associated with positive moods and a more positive view of the future for teenagers, compared to those who don’t dine with their parents. Through situations like family dinners, parents’ comments and interactions with their children can help them feel loved and important. Frequent family dinners were also related to lower rates of depression and suicidal thoughts in another study. So, if you’re thinking of skipping that family dinner for work, you might want to reconsider that!

Reduce stress and better coping mechanisms

Friends may come and go but family stays for life. When we spend time with family, we tend to share what’s going on in our own lives. This helps relief stress, and our family can be an essential source of affection and support. It also serves as a healthy coping mechanism because we learn to confide in others instead of bearing the weight of our problems on our own. A Carnegie Mellon study also found that people who spent time with their families found healthier ways to cope with stress.

Instill positive values

A strong family often sets the foundation for us in life. What we learn and the habits we adopt are nurtured by our home environment. The more we interact with someone, the more we are likely to adopt their behaviour. Thus, it’s no surprise we may have similarities with our parents or siblings. If values, such as kindness and open communication for instance, are practiced in family situations, you’ll realise that you will uphold these same values, around family or not. This is beneficial when facing peer pressure that compromises what’s good for us.

Additionally, for children, spending time with family can very much influence their ambitions in life. According to a licensed family therapist, a strong family can help members achieve the highest level of Maslow’s pyramid – self-actualisation. A self-actualised person can express his or her deepest talents in meaningful ways and achieve his or her fullest potential.

Helps set the stage for future relationships

The values learnt during time spent with the family impacts the way an individual interacts with their future external relationships. According to a study, young adults who behave positively with their families help create a positive family climate of their own in the future.

As we grow up and become more self-conscious, spending more time with family also helps us recognise that there are certain aspects we would like to change in our own relationships. What are some things you make it a point to do with your family now, that you didn’t have or do growing up? With more family time, it helps us decide what is important to us and what we want in our relationships.

Playing sports, watching movies, organising game night… every family has their own way of spending quality time together. Whatever activity you do with your family, it’s important to stay protected should any unforeseen circumstances were to happen. There are various reasons to why you should be covered with personal accident insurance. For example, if you have children and are worried about a fall or an injury, or if your family stays beside a possible dengue cluster, it provides assurance that you and your loved ones are financially protected.

With a plan like FWD Personal Accident insurance, you can get protected individually, as a couple or as a family. Receive up to S$15,000 coverage for inpatient and outpatient medical expenses due to an accident and be covered for food poisoning and infectious diseases like COVID-19¹ and Dengue. With the current COVID-19 climate, we all know how important it is to stay protected against COVID-19. Fortunately, you can also make claims for COVID-19 with just a waiting period of 15 days from the start of your policy coverage, compared to the usual 90 days for other Infectious Disease claims.

You can easily get a quote for FWD Personal Accident insurance here and have you and/or your loved ones covered simply within minutes. Check out the FWD website for exclusive ongoing promotions too!