Feeling overwhelmed by stress and uncertainty? Discover practical ways to reconnect with your loved ones, boost your mood, and take a break from worrying through fun, meaningful family activities.
In this article:
- Engaging in shared activities like volunteering, game nights, and creative projects can help families reduce stress and foster connection during challenging times.
- Therapists recommend prioritizing family bonding and laughter to shift focus away from worry and toward emotional regulation and problem-solving.
- Simple routines such as cooking together, movie nights, outdoor adventures, and conversation games offer practical ways to reconnect and support each other.
The cliché is correct — these are challenging times. The future is uncertain, the nation is at war, the economy is rocky, prices are high and stress is a constant. It’s hard to keep from doomscrolling.
Me-time helps many of us calm down and center ourselves, whether your go-to is a hot bath, yoga class or favorite hobby. But sometimes getting out of yourself is more effective than turning inward. This is especially true if you are a parent and worry that your stress may be affecting your family.
You can’t change the world, but you can change your state of mind. During stressful times, therapists often recommend ways for families to reconnect, laugh and regulate emotions together. These activities shift the brain away from stress and toward connection, creativity and problem-solving. Below are some ideas to help you reconnect with what really matters most: your loved ones.
Volunteer
Giving back to your community is one of the best ways to reduce stress and enjoy a burst of dopamine! Look for park cleanups or trail maintenance through California State Parks programs. Participate in tree planting events, community garden workdays, or habitat restoration. Volunteer at a food bank, animal shelter, or book drive.
Game Night
If your children are older, suggest classics like Monopoly, Scrabble, Uno or Clue. Game night is a great way to get everyone together without distractions, focusing on the same thing. Game night with younger children might involve Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land or Operation. These games may not be very competitive for grown-ups, but it’s fun to watch the little ones learn to “play by the rules” and become good losers and winners.
Movie Night
Once you get over the stress of identifying a movie everyone will enjoy, make popcorn or ice cream sundaes and plop down on the couch. Cuddles encouraged.
Cook or Bake as a Team
Find a task for every ability — even the little ones can spread sprinkles on the cookies or put pepperoni on the pizza. Older kids may learn cooking techniques that will serve them when they get to college.
Stage a Living Room Talent Show
Encourage youngsters to sing, dance, do a magic trick or tell a joke. If a child is not an extrovert, put them in charge of lighting or costumes, or have them share a project or paper they worked on for school.
Dictionary
Each round has a reader who chooses an obscure word from the dictionary. They announce the word and everyone writes down what they think it means. The reader writes the true definition in their own words. All the guesses go into a hat, and the reader reads them out loud. Everyone but the reader guesses what the word means. The reader gets points for every person who guesses wrong. Players get points for guessing right and for every player who chooses their made-up definition.
Family Art Hour
Make a collaborative mural in the garage — you can keep this going by starting with the kids working on designs and then painting the mural in several sessions. Make papier-mâché masks or animals or create puppets and stage a puppet show.
Paint a Pot
See if there’s a pottery-painting business in your area: Everyone chooses a white piece of pottery to decorate, and the business fires it for you. The results make wonderful keepsakes and presents for grandparents.
Get Outdoors
Go for a picnic or family bike ride. Plan a nature scavenger hunt on a favorite trail. Everyone gets a list of things to look for, such as a pinecone, heron, puddle or yellow flower. See who finishes first!
High/Low Buffalo
This is a great way to liven up dinner or a long car ride and spark conversation. Each person takes turns sharing the day’s high (the best part), low (the worst part) and buffalo — something weird or surprising that happened today.
This article first appeared in the March 2026 edition of the HealthPerks newsletter.
