A Cohabitation Burnout: Overwhelmed By Family Relationships

Today, what we call home can be understood as a retreat that offers a calm and understanding environment. However, it can easily become a place of confrontation when family members become overwhelmed and eventually suffer cohabitation burnout.

Live burnout together

When organizing a family vacation, we do it with the expectation of relaxing and having fun as a family. However, it is common for arguments and differences to emerge, causing tension, anger and a certain lack of respect within a family.

This coexistence burnout stems mainly from the increase in time spent together, perhaps imposing the usual intimacy of each member.

Gergen (1991) suggests that a phenomenon he calls the ‘saturated family’ is on the rise. These households are no longer a source of harmony, but rather a place of confrontation between people of different ages and genders.

In other words, cohabitation burnout or saturation occurs when daily conflicts negatively impact a family and overwhelm its members.

How can we prevent cohabitation burnout? Communication and respect

Constant and appropriate communication between parents and children is an essential part of family life.

In his book Cómo mejorar las relaciones familiares (How to Improve Family Relationships ), Hernando Duque suggests the need for family relationships to rely on complementary and mutual support. Each family member should feel part of the whole.

To avoid future misunderstandings, it is important to practice dialogue and active listening. For example, when we find ourselves in the middle of a dialogue with another family member, we often focus only on what we want to say.

However, that is a habit we should avoid. Instead, we should make an effort to take an interest in what others are saying.

At the same time, we are not just talking about acceptance and understanding when we talk about respect in the family. In our homes we must respect the individuality of each member.

For example, we must respect common areas. In general, conflicts arise because these spaces are not shared in an orderly manner. At the same time, in spaces such as bedrooms, each member has the right to express his or her own taste and personality.

Moreover , respect also means interest. In other words, show an interest in getting to know our children and our partner.

Strategies for Improving Family Life

• Create a time dedicated to family and make it part of your routine. Set aside an afternoon or evening each week to snack, play games, or watch movies together. It is important to create a space for your family that is based on a sense of belonging among all members.
• Make plans with the input of your whole family. If all family members participate in planning, for example, vacations, motivation and interest will increase significantly. This helps all family members to be more satisfied with the plans you make and avoid potential conflicts and differences.

• Work together as a team. For example, sharing household chores with your children from an early age will contribute to their sense of belonging. At the same time, this helps them to take on more responsibility.
• Let your children participate in family discussions and decisions. Give them the opportunity to express their feelings and opinions. Their self-esteem will go up if they know you appreciate their input.
• Encourage your children to make their own decisions. In addition to helping them strengthen their sense of responsibility, your children will put more trust in you. Let them decide how to furnish their rooms, what clothes to wear, etc.

Conclusion

We can conclude that family life is more challenging than ever before. Social media plays an important role in shaping one’s sense of belonging, which has a profound effect on family life.

Family relationships are becoming more and more complex and the best ingredients to make them work are respect and good communication.

In addition, your children and partner should feel your support, but that’s not all. They should feel like they are part of a family where everything is important and valuable. So every member should feel irreplaceable.