This is a collaborative post.
We are currently living through a pandemic of gigantic proportions. The measures that were taken to stop, or at least reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 are truly unprecedented and have left many people struggling, not only economically, but also on a deeper, personal level.
As most of the world’s population was put under lockdown, and encouraged to stay at home whenever possible, it led to a situation where loads of people in relationships unwittingly exposed their true selves to their longtime partners, sometimes for the very first time. Even though the increased amount of time spent together has led many relationships to flourish once again, just as many happy couples went downhill because of the shelter in place orders.
Divorce rates are projected to go through the roof, which shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the scale of this epidemic. This is especially true for larger cities, such as Miami, Boston or Los Angeles, to name a few. And even though divorce laws in Florida, Massachusetts and all of the other states don’t exactly factor in a global pandemic as one of the possible grounds for divorce, courts will consider these unusual circumstances and the impact it has had on both parties.
Relationship problems stemming from these unique circumstances don’t have to be the end-all, meet-all for couples. If you feel like you’re struggling to communicate and be around your partner during these trying times, don’t jump to conclusions just yet! There might be a couple of ways out of this rut, some of which don’t involve splitting up for good.
Lost Touch With Each Other?
Despite the fact that you’re living together, you might be surprised just how much you don’t know about your significant other. Especially when you’re both leading very active, busy lifestyles, the result of which is very little time spent at home in the presence of your loved one.
Losing that vital connection with your partner is one of the most commonly cited occurrences that lead people to the sad conclusion that their relationship is simply not going to work out anymore. The COVID-19 pandemic has expedited this process in countless households.
In the case of losing familiarity with the person you thought you knew most in the world, the survival of your partnership depends solely on your willingness to get to know each other once again. Unfortunately, many couples don’t have that drive within them anymore — one might argue that it was never really there, given how easily some fell in the routine of a relationship devoid of the genuine interest in the other person’s life.
Irritating Turns Into Infuriating
While in the cases outlined above, it is incredibly difficult to get back to the blissful state of mutual love and respect that should be persistent in every relationship, COVID-19 has increased the pressure so much that even trivial and seemingly insignificant things can pit partners against each other.
You can’t go out to work, and so you have to put up with your husband’s obnoxious whistling while he’s off in his own little world, working remotely on the computer. You’ve never had to experience this for so long before, so you never really minded. But now you hear it all the time. It drives you to the breaking point and one day a fight breaks out, where a lot of things were said that cannot be taken back.
Described above is just one of many examples of trivialities causing some serious animosity between lovers. In regular circumstances, it wouldn’t be a problem, but during the pandemic, these things pile up to the point where it can get really nasty. After a while, the two of you can forget about the initial causes of these animosities and let things deteriorate even more, to the point of no return. One might argue that the right time to break up does not even exist, but a global pandemic sure as hell is not it.
Know the Difference
People who are not interested in each other anymore should not, under any circumstances, stay together — loveless relationships lead to nothing but despair and a lifetime of unhappiness.
The coronavirus pandemic has twisted our perception of little annoyances and the way we view our partners, that sometimes it may be difficult to distinguish between relationship-breaking qualities and tiny nuisances that are nothing compared to the love you feel for the other person, but when piled up, they can create the illusion of your partner being this unbearable creature.
In these difficult times, it is crucial to be able to distinguish between those two relationship states and react appropriately. In the first scenario, you might have to take more serious measures, if you’re determined to make it work (and even then it is not a guarantee), such as going to a relationship counsellor.
In the second one, it is simply a matter of good communication and reminding each other of why you two fell in love in the first place. It can be as simple as a playful recreation of your first date or releasing the pressure by giving each other some of the much-needed space for an evening or two.
