There may come a time in your life where you endlessly put off and postpone visiting loved ones. As life gets busier and you start your own family or pursue the career of your dreams, it’s easy to let spending quality time with family fall to the wayside.

But this shouldn’t be the case. The people who you love won’t be around forever and every moment with someone you love is precious and should be cherished. A study into the effects of quality time with family has concluded that regular visits to elderly relatives can increase their lifespan by up to 23%. Loneliness is not a fun pill to swallow and can aid in prematurely bringing life to an end.

Making memories and solidifying these with photos and keepsakes can be just one way to show appreciation and care for family, without having to sacrifice your schedule for quality time. Hunt out the best online photo album maker and plan a surprise gift to send to family that aren’t so close by, it can do a lot to improve feelings of loneliness if you can’t spare a few days to visit.

If your family lives just around the corner, there is really no excuse for not spending some time with them. Not just for their wellbeing, but for your own too. there are plenty of benefits that come from being with loved ones.

Stress Relief

Speaking to a close relative or being in their company can help to reduce stress levels according to experts. This proved to be especially so in young girls and pubescent girls, who showed an increase in oxytocin, a hormone that makes you feel good, after speaking to their mums on the phone.

Confidence

Having someone who loves you unconditionally as part of your support network can help to increase feelings of confidence – especially when exercised from a young age. Child Development, a research journal, also published a report that suggested teenagers felt better about themselves and were more confident in social circles when they spent an increased amount of time in their dad’s presence.

Creating Bonds

Of course, it makes sense that the more time that families spend together, the closer they will be in the grand scheme of things. Regular rendezvous and catch-ups can develop strong relationships, especially when these interactions were based in activities and exercise.

Healthier Lifestyle

We are influenced by the people around us and by the people we choose to spend our time with. Public polls suggest that people that are close to family and friends tend to eat more healthy and have a more active lifestyle and a large majority would agree that their loved ones are a heavy influence when it comes having a healthy lifestyle.

There’s no denying that family plays an important role in making our lives rich and fulfilling, spending time with them could be the key to a longer and happier life. So squeeze in some quality time with the people who are closest to you and reap the health benefits while making those around you happy.