Photo by Cody Black on Unsplash
There’s no doubt about it. The COVID pandemic has had (and continues to have), a huge impact on the world. The number of people affected by the death of long term illness has been almost unimaginable.
In addition to the medical fallout, society has also had huge challenges to face, which has led to many couples feeling the strain. After all, being confined indoors for long periods of time, often with children who needed homeschooling has caused. Add to this employment and financial worries and you have the perfect recipe for a strained relationship.
Accept that you’re been through a trauma
Whether or not your family and friends have been affected by the illness, the fact is that many societies have not seen anything like the pandemic during peacetime. Perhaps you’ve argued a lot during the pandemic, or become distant. However, you have reacted as a couple, you have to accept that these weren’t normal circumstances and hopefully won’t be repeated again in your lifetime.
This may have revealed itself in disagreements or arguments, loss of libido or mood. You might want to consider Vitality Rx or other supplements to help with this.
If either of you have lost friends or family to COVID, this can add an extra layer of emotion and loss which affects your day to day life and relationship.
Spend time apart
Being cooped up in a house together 24/7 can make you feel frustrated and crowded. So why not arrange to do some things separately like go out with friends or to do something you enjoy. It can make you feel a little more like your old selves and appreciate the time you spend both apart and together.
Spend time together
Being forced to spend every second of the day together has been stressful because you didn’t have the same level of control over what you did. You couldn’t head to the cinema or spend a night in a nice hotel. So carve out time for things to do together that remind you of your love for each other.
If you’ve gone through lockdowns with children in the house, try and arrange a childminder or other childcare so that you can have time to yourselves, without having to be in parenting mode for the entire time. It is a great way to decompress for the pressures of family life and remind yourselves as a couple why you got together in the first place.
Try to put each other first
With jobs, kids and the general life admin you have to deal with, it can be easy to to take things for granted, including your partner. While this may have been necessary to an extent throughout the pandemic, it’s certainly not something either of you wants to continue.
Final thoughts
If you’re relationship felt the strain of the pandemic, you aren’t alone. Most people, if they were honest would admit to complex feelings relating to the entire period. But you can come out of the other side of it stronger, but you may need to spend time and effort reconnecting as a couple.