Supporting Your Family Through Hard Times

All families experience periods of their lives when things aren’t going so well. The reasons could be temporary, like an illness, or more serious, like a job loss. However hard you try to ensure life runs smoothly, there are bound to be times when you and your family are unhappy or have problems to work through. The best thing you can do for your family during these times is to support them and help them deal with whatever the situation is.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Knowing when to seek help

Sometimes events can happen which are beyond your ability to deal with, and in these cases recognising that you need help to manage is the most important responsibility you have. It may be something you simply don’t understand and lack the skills to deal with, for example, if your child starts getting anxious or depressed, then you need to consult a healthcare professional, so you can obtain expert advice on how to help. Occasionally you might find your teenager has got into trouble with the police, and this is when you would get in touch with a solicitor for advice. While you can provide emotional support and help in a situation like this, if your child has been accused of a serious crime such as conspiracy to supply Class A drugs for example, then professional services will definitely be required.

Spending time together

Whatever the cause of your troubles, you are still a family, and it’s important that you should remain close and supportive of each other. It can happen that family members drift apart at times like these, but you should all be making an effort to come together and spend time with each other. Being together is an important part of overcoming your problems, as you will gain strength from each other and feel familial solidarity. Taking a trip together might be a good way to strengthen your relationships and have a break from your normal routine. Alternatively, if you don’t feel like going out, just gather together to watch a film on Netflix, or if illness is the issue, get everyone together in the patient’s room for a chat every day. It’s not so important what it is you do like the fact that you are doing it together.

Talk to each other

Communication is one of the fundamental tools for healing and recovery in any crisis situation. Don’t let the lines of communication between family members break down, because without being able to talk to each other you won’t find it very easy to get through whatever is going on. Make a point of speaking to everyone and encouraging them to talk to each other. Make sure your family knows that you will be there to talk to if they need to express their feelings, and you will be a shoulder to cry on if that’s what they need. Letting out negative emotions is a vital part of healing, so encourage everyone to keep talking.

Even if it doesn’t feel like it when you’re experiencing hard times, you will emerge the other side, and things will get better. You just need to support each other as best you can and use whatever outside help you need to get through it.

This is a collaborative post.