Have you ever wondered how your cultural background and family history affect your wellbeing and mental health?
While therapy, mindfulness, or self-care can go a long way to helping us stay mentally healthy, reconnecting with our roots is often an overlooked yet powerful tool for emotional resilience and overall wellbeing.
By exploring where we come from—our cultural traditions, family stories, and ancestral wisdom—we can foster a deeper sense of identity, belonging, and purpose, which are all essential for mental health.
Identity and Wellbeing
A strong sense of identity is important for emotional stability and mental health. When you have a clearer understanding of your cultural heritage and family history, it gives you a better sense of who you are and where you fit in the world. Culture includes traditions, customs, language, and values passed down through generations, while family history provides a personal narrative of your ancestors' experiences.
Understanding your background can make you feel more confident and help boost your self-esteem and emotional balance. For example, learning about your family’s migration stories or how traditions have been maintained for centuries can create a sense of pride. Research even suggests that people who know more about their family’s history tend to have higher self-esteem and emotional resilience. Realizing you are part of a long lineage connects you to something larger than yourself, which can help reduce feelings of isolation and promote emotional strength.
Belonging, Connection and Mental Health
A major contributor to anxiety and depression is the feeling of disconnection or isolation. Exploring your culture and family history can help foster a strong sense of belonging, which is critical for mental wellbeing. Humans are naturally social beings, and knowing that you are part of a broader cultural and familial network can be incredibly grounding.
Family traditions, stories, and customs create a sense of continuity. Participating in cultural rituals—whether it’s celebrating traditional holidays, practicing religious customs, or joining family gatherings—connects you to both your ancestors and your living relatives. This sense of belonging acts as a buffer against loneliness and can give you a stable foundation, even when life gets tough. In fact, studies have shown that individuals with a strong connection to their cultural identity often experience less psychological distress, which makes belonging an essential part of mental health.
Storytelling as a Path to Healing
Family stories hold a unique power. Hearing how previous generations faced and overcame their challenges—whether through migration, war, or personal struggles—can provide comfort and wisdom for your own life. These stories offer perspective and help you understand that resilience and strength run through your family’s history.
Research also backs up the idea that knowing your family’s past can improve emotional wellbeing. Children who know more about their family history tend to have higher self-esteem and are more resilient when facing challenges. Sharing these stories can strengthen relationships within families, enhancing emotional intimacy and creating a shared sense of purpose. When you engage in conversations about your ancestors' lives and experiences, you foster connections that deepen your understanding of your place in both your family and your culture.
Mi'kmaw porcupine quill/birchbark dinner mats. Source: Nova Scotia Archives
Cultural Continuity and Emotional Resilience
Cultural practices often come with built-in methods for coping with stress and adversity. When you explore your heritage, you uncover these time-tested resources, which can help you navigate your own struggles. Practices such as prayer, meditation, music, or even communal meals are often deeply rooted in cultural traditions and can serve as effective tools for managing emotions.
Knowing that your ancestors relied on these practices to survive and thrive can also provide you with a sense of continuity. This historical resilience can be a source of emotional support, reminding you that you too have inherited the strength and strategies to face today’s challenges. Research shows that people who engage in cultural practices or feel connected to their ethnic identity often experience less anxiety and depression, illustrating the emotional benefits of maintaining cultural traditions.
Take Action: Learn more about your cultural and family history
Understanding your culture and family history can be a transformative journey toward better mental health and overall wellbeing. Here are a few ways to start:
Talk to Elders: One of the best ways to learn about your family’s history is by speaking with older relatives. Ask them to share stories about their lives, family traditions, or cultural practices. Their insights can provide a personal connection to your past, offering wisdom and understanding that you may not find in history books.
Research Your Family Tree: Use genealogy tools or simply collect stories and photos from family members to map out your family tree. Learning about your ancestors, where they lived, and the experiences they had can help you better understand how their lives shaped your family’s journey and values.
Engage in Cultural Practices: Reconnect with cultural traditions that may have been lost or forgotten. Whether it's cooking traditional meals, learning the language of your ancestors, or participating in community festivals, these practices can help you feel more connected to your heritage and provide a sense of continuity and belonging.
By taking these steps, you can strengthen your understanding of your roots, which in turn can boost your emotional resilience, sense of belonging, and overall mental wellbeing. Exploring your cultural and family history isn’t just about looking to the past—it’s about building a healthier and more grounded future.
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About the Author:
Derrick McEachern is a Registered Counselling Therapist (RCT) in Nova Scotia, and a Canadian Certified Counsellor. He specializes in providing mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in the areas of addiction, healthy relationships, grief and loss, and career and life transitions. He offers workshops and webinars and consults with businesses on ways to improve employee wellbeing and mental health.
Derrick McEachern, M.Ed., RCT, CCC
Counselling Therapist, Owner
Five Star Wellbeing Counselling and Mental Health
tel: 902 698 1194
derrick@fivestarwellbeing.com
https://fivestarwellbeing.com
