6 Fun Ways to Co-Regulate With Your Family This Week
Co-regulation plays a vital role in maintaining a balanced nervous system. Finding ways to regulate as a family creates harmony and a greater sense of peace and enjoyment for all.
In the busyness of managing carpools, forgotten homework assignments, and meal planning, we know that finding ways to spend meaningful time together as a family can be challenging. Attempting to do all of this with a dysregulated nervous system makes things even more challenging. This is why we came up with a list of 6 ways to regulate your entire family’s nervous system - and have fun while doing it!
The Importance of Play
When it comes to managing stress, play may be the last thing on your mind, but neurologically speaking, we are more relaxed, focused, and innovative when in the Play State. Through regular social play, you are activating higher levels of creativity, emotional balance, and resistance to the fight or flight nervous system response. By prioritizing play within your family, you are helping support more clear and open lines of communication, emotional regulation, and connection.
6 Ways to Co-Regulate With Your Family This Week
1. Capture the Town
Go out and explore scenic spots within your community and have some fun with an amateur photoshoot. Set a rule to be as “silly” as possible and let the laughter and memories ensue.
2. Family X-Factor
Let your inner Harry Styles come out and attempt to wow each other with your hidden (or not so hidden) talents. To help everyone feel like a winner, come up with badges to award such as “most creative, most LOL moments,” or “most surprising talent.”
3. DIY Science
Browse Youtube or Pinterest for some at home “easy” science experiments. Pick a few that look interesting and set aside some time to explore them as a family.
4. A Full Course Meal
Give everyone in the family an opportunity to showcase their cooking skills by preparing a meal together. Search for appetizers, entrees, and desserts that even your youngest members of the family can help whip up.
5. Family Dance-Off
Start with kids vs. adults, sharing some of the biggest billboard hits of their generation and corresponding dance moves. No matter how “cringe-worthy,” your kids think you are, it’s sure to bring forth some laughs.
6. Random Acts of Kindness
Set a challenge for each family member to commit at least one act of kindness each day. It doesn’t need to be limited to other family members and to help motivate and inspire one another, keep a list that everyone can add theirs to each day. At the end of the week, sit down to share your individual experiences.
With all of these activities, you are creating a strong sense of inclusiveness and bonding which helps the social nervous system feel supported. Laughter and smiling also triggers the production of endorphins, the “feel good” chemicals in the body which reduces levels of stress hormones helping you to stay more grounded, open, and loving toward others.
We have found through data from the NEUROFIT App, members who prioritize social play report 26% more balanced daily check-ins. To start regulating your measuring your own nervous system fitness, download the NEUROFIT App today.