For many of us, being a homebody is now mandatory. To contain the spread of coronavirus, many states have issued stay-at-home orders for the foreseeable future. That means many families are spending more time together than they normally do.

All that togetherness can present challenges, particularly because everyone is confined and in close quarters with each other. But there’s plenty you can do to make the most of family time together.

Consider that family bonding is an investment in everyone’s health. One study found that having strong social bonds was as important to long-term health as healthy eating and exercise. Here are some ways to strengthen those bonds, right at home.

 

Create a Routine
To some degree, you can probably adapt what you were doing before to what you need now. But you may need to create some new rituals for the family, too.

If you have school-age children with assignments to complete, designate a specific time to get those done. If you’re working from home, schedule time to work and time that you devote to family. It may be hard to stick to the goals you set for yourself each day, and interruptions will surely come, but the structure’s what counts.

 

Share Responsibilities
With everyone at home, there are surely plenty of chores to be done. Come together as a family to divvy up the dishwashing, vacuuming and sanitizing. Doing chores together can strengthen family bonds.

 

Dine as a Family
For starters, make and share meals together when possible. Set family dates for meals together several times a week. The benefits of family meals (with no electronics at the table) are significant, and include not only opportunities for bonding but also a lower risk of obesity and more nutritious food choices. While it’s important every day, eating healthy is especially important now to stay healthy.

 

When You Feel Annoyed, Let It Go
Most everyone has a bad habit or two, or other personal tics that can get on a parent’s or sibling’s nerves. Now isn’t an ideal time to work on breaking bad habits or building better ones. Instead, take a deep breath and look past it, if it’s truly minor.