{"id":11790,"date":"2022-12-05T12:27:17","date_gmt":"2022-12-05T17:27:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=11790"},"modified":"2022-12-04T21:53:34","modified_gmt":"2022-12-05T02:53:34","slug":"91-said-this-simple-habit-helped-their-family-be-less-stressed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=11790","title":{"rendered":"91% Said THIS Simple Habit Helped Their Family Be Less Stressed"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-11791\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/cartoon-of-italian-family-eating-at-a-table.jpg?resize=300%2C140&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Greek wedding family eating together\" width=\"300\" height=\"140\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/cartoon-of-italian-family-eating-at-a-table.jpg?resize=300%2C140&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/cartoon-of-italian-family-eating-at-a-table.jpg?resize=1024%2C478&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/cartoon-of-italian-family-eating-at-a-table.jpg?resize=768%2C359&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/cartoon-of-italian-family-eating-at-a-table.jpg?resize=1536%2C718&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/cartoon-of-italian-family-eating-at-a-table.jpg?resize=2048%2C957&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/cartoon-of-italian-family-eating-at-a-table.jpg?w=1470&amp;ssl=1 1470w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/cartoon-of-italian-family-eating-at-a-table.jpg?w=2205&amp;ssl=1 2205w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Researchers from the American Heart Association wanted to know what could be done to help manage the rampant stress that leads to chronic conditions such as heart disease. They surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults nationwide had a simple solution. Nearly all parents report lower levels of stress among their family when they regularly connect over a meal.<\/p>\n<p>Eating together. Remember that?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSharing meals with others is a great way to reduces stress, boost self-esteem and improve social connection, particularly for kids,\u201d said Erin Michos, M.D, M.H.S, associate director of preventive cardiology at Johns Hopkins and a co-author of the American Heart Association\u2019s statement on Psychological Health, Well-being, and the Mind-Heart-Body Connection.<\/p>\n<p>Connecting with friends, family, coworkers and neighbors benefits people beyond stress relief. In fact, the survey found 67% of people say sharing a meal remind them of the importance of connecting with other people, and 54% say it reminds them to slow down and take a break.<\/p>\n<p>Those surveyed say they are more likely (59%) to make healthier food choices when eating with other people but have difficulty aligning schedules with their friends or family to do so, according to the survey. Overall, respondents reported eating alone about half of the time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe know it\u2019s not always as easy as it sounds to get people together at mealtime. Like other healthy habits, give yourself permission to start small and build from there,\u201d Michos said. \u201cSet a goal to gather friends, family or coworkers for one more meal together each week. If you can\u2019t get together in person, think about how you can share a meal together over the phone or a computer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The take-home message is actually one of the principles of the Mediterranean dietary approach:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Return To The Family Table<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I just love that science is coming around to confirm the cultural eating practices of some of the healthiest people on the planet.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Survey Highlights:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>91% of parents notice their family is less stressed when they share family meals together.<br \/>\n65% of surveyed adults say they are at least somewhat stressed, and more than a quarter (27%) are very or extremely stressed.<br \/>\n84% of adults wish they could share a meal together more often.<br \/>\nOverall, respondents reported eating alone about half of the time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There&#8217;s a simple solution that can help reduce stress, and it turns out to be a principle of the Mediterranean dietary approach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[585,285],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-heart-health","category-mediterranean-diet"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/cartoon-of-italian-family-eating-at-a-table.jpg?fit=2532%2C1183&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Qv5g-34a","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15671,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=15671","url_meta":{"origin":11790,"position":0},"title":"Connection Is Good For Your Heart","author":"Will Clower","date":"February 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"February is best known for Valentine\u2019s Day, but it\u2019s also Heart Health Month\u2014making it a perfect time to explore how emotional connection supports physical wellbeing. When we think about heart health, we often focus on cholesterol levels, blood pressure, or exercise\u2014and those things absolutely matter. But so does something that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"kindness heart happy winter","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kindness-heart-happy-winter.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kindness-heart-happy-winter.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kindness-heart-happy-winter.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kindness-heart-happy-winter.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kindness-heart-happy-winter.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2120,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2120","url_meta":{"origin":11790,"position":1},"title":"This week &#8230; its all about your heart. 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And when it\u2019s paired with mindful eating and shared meals, gratitude becomes more than a feeling \u2014 it becomes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"kindness heart happy winter","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kindness-heart-happy-winter.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kindness-heart-happy-winter.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kindness-heart-happy-winter.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kindness-heart-happy-winter.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/kindness-heart-happy-winter.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2603,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=2603","url_meta":{"origin":11790,"position":4},"title":"Traffic Jam Heart Jam?","author":"Will Clower","date":"March 16, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Does a traffic jam lead to a heart attack?This research report indicates that getting stuck in traffic prompts a serious and immediate consequence -- a much higher risk of suffering a heart attack.Here's what they found:After a four-year analysis of nearly 1,500 heart attack cases, the authors found that making\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?cat=494"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5938,"url":"https:\/\/www.mymedwellness.com\/blog\/?p=5938","url_meta":{"origin":11790,"position":5},"title":"Stress, And Creating Your Own Reality","author":"Will Clower","date":"April 9, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Bobby McFerrin\u2019s popular song\u00a0informs us that, when you worry your face will frown, and that will bring everybody down so don\u2019t worry, be happy. 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