Yay! The winter holiday season is here! This typically means that our households are a flurry of activities such as buying gifts, attending holidays, making baked goods, and working to pay for it all. It is easy to lose sight of what is essential-your time, and your physical presence to your family.
Giving your loved ones your time can sometimes be difficult. But it does not have to be challenging especially during holidays because you have ample amount of time to chill. So, now that the holiday season is here, let’s cherish some happy moments with our loved ones, grandparents, and aging parents.
So, here are the tips to make meaningful connections:
 Truly being present to your loved ones, creating some happy memories, and feeling a sense of connection is something that needs to be done every year. Overall, it’s a gift of wellness and good health too. Also, holidays are your perfect time to reconnect with your loved ones and especially with your aging family members.
So, follow these tips to develop meaningful connections with your friends and family:
1. Prep for your holidays together:
The desire to feel useful and needed is universal. So, when you are preparing for your holidays, just make sure that you engage both young and old in your family. You can involve them in decorating the home, baking some goodies, and evening sending out some holiday cards. You not only check items off your list, but you can also create some warm connections and share some good memories too. Also, your family members feel a sense of belonging too.
2. Playing board games together:
Family get-togethers are incomplete without board games or cards. Without them, you cannot connect with your loved ones on a physical or emotional level. Also, games are icebreakers. They help everyone around to connect. Playing games promotes healthy competition, and communication and also improves your health by stimulating your brain and encouraging social interaction.
3. Limiting technological use:
Make sure when you connect with your loved ones, you limit the use of technology. It is a medium that can connect and disconnect us from people. Also, when we are posting or liking, we are not present in our family get-togethers. So, when visiting your aging parents and grandparents, make sure that you spend quality time with them. Try harder to be fully present. Try asking them about their childhood, looking at your old photos, or asking about how they met their spouse. Encourage your loved ones to share stories as much as possible. Your kids will also enjoy learning things through these conversations and social interactions.
The importance of social interaction:
If you are not sure your aging loved ones are living their life at their best, then it is a perfect time to step back and consider the circumstances. Watch out for the health signs of your loved ones. Keep track of their daily activities.
The earlier you catch these warning signs of loneliness, the better the chances of helping them.
Things to note when you are visiting your aging parents and grandparents over the holidays:
1. Looking for signs of weight loss:
As you give your loved ones a big hug, take note of how slender they may be. It is very common for seniors to experience a loss of appetite due to changes in their health. You can also check the refrigerator to make sure that they eat right by refilling some healthy snacks.
2. Taking care of their social isolation and mental well-being:
Inquire about friends and neighbors to learn how often they are seeing and meeting up socially. Loneliness can lead to emotional trauma like depression. Also, look for their mood changes.
3. Increased memory loss:
It is very normal for seniors to become forgetful, but if you find strange things in strange places, then there are signs of memory loss.
4. Talking to neighbors:
If possible, take a few minutes to talk to your neighbors. They may be able to provide some valuable information about your loved one’s overall health.
So, this holiday season makes sure that your loved ones receive the right level of support from you so that they can lead happy life. So, try spending some quality time with them and making sure that they get the best of everything.
