By María José Abad
Nowadays, societies live a hyperconnected daily life, which has changed different important aspects of life. As with everything, this has its pros and cons; there is no denying that the way people work, study and family dynamics have undergone a drastic change in recent years.
These huge changes invite us to reflect on this new panorama and on the aspects that should be taken into consideration in various situations, such as couple arguments over time wasted surfing the web, the loss of the ability to communicate face to face, or the excessive importance that children give to the connection and interaction with video games and social networks, to the detriment of the enjoyment of outdoor activities.
It is time to act, to be creative and to plan activities that allow us to disconnect from the digital world, and to take advantage of the weekend -which is when we normally have free time- to enjoy quality time with the family, doing activities that everyone enjoys and in which everyone contributes with a specific task, even the youngest members of the household.
Relationships can be built or rebuilt by sharing occupations, not as an isolated task, but as a means of relating, fostering communication and even solving problems that may arise when performing activities together; in other words, a synergy can be developed that involves our loved ones with our daily activities.
One could consider, for example, the practice of horticulture through a family garden at home. Nowadays, this activity is even used therapeutically in the area of occupational therapy. In fact, it has been scientifically proven that gardening brings some benefits, such as the promotion of social participation and the development of links with the community. These benefits are partly due to the contact with nature, but also because of the activities involved in caring for the garden and growing food. This involves daily tasks and responsibilities that could be distributed within the family, which in turn would contribute to improving the social skills of each of its members.
Preparing a special meal on the weekend is also an excellent alternative to improve communication and interaction among family members, since preparing a dish is a process that can be done as a team, and that activates the senses, improves communication and develops creativity. In addition, this is a useful activity to work cognitive, motor and social functions; make it a family habit little by little!
In fact, the preparation of the meal can transcend and go beyond the mere cooking process, and even make use of other family tasks, such as gardening. Thus, the process can start with the initial idea of what you want to prepare, and continue with the search for ingredients -some of which could be obtained by harvesting the family garden-, the preparation of the dish and the setting of the table in a special way; we must not forget the most important thing: having fun in the process.
All these activities mentioned above can be complemented with some actions or rules that allow for greater social interaction, such as not using cell phones during tasks, so that priority is given to enjoying the here and now, with full awareness that the goal is to have quality time with the family, and that the final result is the fruit of everyone's work. The product of the activities performed is observable, generates a feeling of efficiency, nourishes the sense of achievement, provides satisfaction and will reconnect us with our loved ones.
María José Abad
Director School of Psychology UEES
