The idea of home should bring us comfort, warmth, safety and assurance. When we are brought up in a home full of love, affection and care, we learn to become individuals aware of our emotions, secure in our skin and affectionate to others. “Building an emotionally health space promotes feelings of safety, self-esteem, and closeness that are enjoyed now and are carried into the future. For those attempting to build safer spaces for themselves and their loved ones, focus on one or two at a time, then add. It’s a lot to try to focus on all at once. No need for overwhelm. Every little shift matters,” wrote Psychotherapist Emily H Sanders. The expert further noted down a few ways by which we can create an emotionally healthy home for ourselves and our loved ones.
ALSO READ: Characteristics of homes with healthy boundaries: Therapist explains
We’re now on WhatsApp. Click to join
Establish family rules: While some rules are meant to restrict us, some rules can promote safety and assurance in a home. In order to promote safety and consistency, we should come up with a comprehensive set of rules that should be communicated in a healthy manner to the family members.
Talk about feelings: Instead of suppressing the emotions and pushing them under the rug, we should talk about our feelings and seek cooperation from others in addressing them.
Coping tool for the children: We should remember that our children look up to us and need our help in coping with their emotions. We should be with them throughout and help them tackle their emotions, especially the difficult ones.
Talk about tough topics: We should bring up the tough topics and assure our family members that we can be open about them, instead of letting such topics make us uncomfortable.
Work through problems together: A healthy home consists of people who are there for each other and know how to handle situations together as a team.
Attempt to spend quality time: Spending moments, creating memories and basking in togetherness deepens the bond shared by a family. We should prioritise family time and attempt to spend time together on a daily basis.
Talk about mental and emotional health: In many homes, talking openly about mental and emotional health is still a taboo. This makes us feel lost when we deal with difficulties. We should create a healthy space for communicating about our mental and emotional health at home.
Be affectionate: We should share kind words, be more appreciative of others, engage in safe physical touch and let others know that we love and cherish them.