What Is Family Love?
The firstloveyou ever know often comes from your mother and your immediate family members.
This unconditional love seeks nothing in return.
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A family’s love psychologically grounds you and provides a framework for future relationships.
It enables you to form secureattachments.
Securely attached children feel safe and cared for.
If you had secure bonds, your parents were likely responsive and fulfilled your needs when you were young.
Positive attachments and feeling cared for by loved ones lead to higher social functioning later on.
Children withsecure attachmentscan also more easily form healthy ties with others when they grow up and throughout their lives.
The future outlook seems bright.
Feeling loved by our families and having great childhood experiences when youre young is important.
The study also showed that enhancing positive childhood experiences may reduce adult mental health problems even whenadverse childhood eventshappen.
Estrangement From Family Members
Of course, not everyone has positive childhood experiences with family members.
Perhaps you didn’t have an idyllic childhood, and your parents weren’t good role models.
You might have chosen to distance yourself from them by choice.
Instead of experiencing that tension and discomfort, you chose to step back from spending time with your family.
About 27% of Americans are estranged from a family member.
For example, during COVID-19, family dynamics often shifted due to spending so much time in close proximity.
Spending so much time together made some relationships fray.
Lack of personal space led to conflicts and increased frustration with family members.
Though you are related to them by genetics, being cooped up with family members can be challenging.
Others of us lived and worked across the country from our family.
We couldn’t travel to visit them or perhaps we couldnt give much time to loved ones.
Maybe we felt guilty.
Maybe we were relieved.
Disagreements over politics, wearing masks, and getting the vaccine also strained family relationships.
Research also suggests that political polarization has also created strained family relationships.
Family love can be found whether its based on bloodline relationships or not.
Perhaps youre close to college friends or church friends.
you’re free to establish your own close ties with people you choose to be with.
This is regardless of age, sex, or health status.
We need to remember that having these close relationships is a significant aspect of good health.
In addition, the brain also releasesendorphinsthat flood us with feelings of pleasure and happiness.
Takeaways
Belonging to a supportive family online grid has many benefits.
It’s an integral part of physical and mental well-being.
Begin to focus your time and attention on those you love.
Soon, you’ll be creating fun times and happy memories.
doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.3007
Cornell Family Estrangement & Reconciliation Project.Frequently asked questions (FAQs).
2016;113(3):578-583. doi:10.1073/pnas.1511085112
