5 Ways To Build Generational Wellness

I hear people discuss generational wealth a lot nowadays, and I understand why. It’s perfectly natural to want to build up money that can be passed down through future generations and give your descendants a better future. But I think that generational wellness is equally as important, if not more so. Because your quality of life depends on your health, as well as your finances.

So today we’re going to discuss five ways you can build that up, for yourself and your kids… And for future generations!

1. Create Specific Goals

First off, you can’t achieve a goal you haven’t defined. Especially when it’s something that will take as much intention as building generational habits. So the first step you should take is defining which aspects of wellness you want to pass down.

Maybe you want to put more of a focus on mental health, perhaps you want to emphasize the importance of diet, or you may want to focus on all of it at once. But in any case, you should sit down and really evaluate what exactly it is that you want to instill in future generations. That way, you can come up with a solid game plan.

2. Focus On Yourself First

Obviously, to build generational wellness, you have to get your kids involved. But since you’re the one that’s starting the new pattern that you hope for them to follow, you need to make sure that your foundation is strong. So before you start putting your focus on teaching your kids to be passionate about health and wellness, really hone in on establishing your own habits first.

For example, if you want to create a lineage of people that are in tune with their mental health… You need to go to therapy and work through any traumas, limiting beliefs, or mental hurdles you’re dealing with. That way you can be a solid model for your children, as to what someone who is deeply in tune with themselves looks like.

3. Make Wellness A Part Of Your Family’s Routine

Now, once you’ve established the routines and habits you want to pass down, you’re going to want to implement them into your family life as soon as possible! This could take many forms depending on what your goals are.

For instance, there are…

• Daily Habits – These are things you can make part of your day-to-day life. Like having “quiet time” for reflection every day, where your entire household sets aside some time to be present. Or eating a healthy breakfast that will fuel you and your kids for the day, and teach them to prioritize starting the day with nourishing foods. Or maybe even something as simple as limiting screen time.
• Regular Practices – These are things that you do regularly, but perhaps not every day. Like meal prepping at the beginning of the week so you have quality meals for the following days, going on a family run once a month, or keeping up with doctor’s appointments.
• Situational Actions – These are things that you do in response to certain situations, problems, or circumstances. Like prioritizing mental health during periods of transition, eating more cleansing and nourishing foods after the holidays, or drinking extra water when you’re sick and encouraging your kids to do the same. This teaches them how to respond to various situations in healthy ways.

4. Teach Your Kids Why Generational Wellness Is Important

Modeling the behaviors you want your children to pick up on, and instilling positive habits in them will only take you so far when it comes to generational wellness. Because you also need your kids to understand why these things are important, so they’re more likely to keep up with them even after they’re away from your influence.

So, in age-appropriate ways, explain the science and ideas behind why certain things are good for us. Talk about what can happen if you stray away from wellness, and start indulging in unhealthy habits too frequently. And talk about the benefits of prioritizing your health.

Then, once your kids are old enough, introduce the generational aspect to them. Discuss the importance of teaching their kids (if they plan on having them) the same practices.

5. Don’t Overdo It

As with most things in life, too much of anything can be bad. So don’t go overboard when you’re trying teach your children about wellness. Because if you’re too strict with it, or too overbearing, it could potentially cause them to adopt the opposite lifestyle of what you want when they become adults.

There’s a difference between healthy habits and unnecessary restriction that will foster resentment in your children. Balance is key here! You want your children to love and embrace the wellness techniques you’re teaching them, but they won’t do that if they feel like it comes at the cost of everything else.

And on the flip side, you also don’t want to risk causing disordered eating or toxic relationships with weight, diet, exercise, etc… So make sure your kids know it’s ok to drink a soda here and there, or take a few days off exercising if they don’t feel like it.

Final Thoughts

I hope you found this article helpful, and that you can use some of the tips in it to start building your own version of generational wellness within your family. And if you’d like more content centered around health as a parent, parenting in general, running a home, or managing finances… Please check out some of my other content.