Love During Covid- 5 Tips For Your Relationship
The worldwide outbreak of the pandemic has resulted in a dramatic increase in sick days and shutdowns at workplaces, even as we enter our third year and despite all of our efforts to flatten the curve, the journey back to “normal” continues. This increased occurrence of time spent at home with your partner often brings with it an additional level of anxiety and fear, which have the potential to be very stressful for even the best relationships. So, how can you make your relationship last through this, and perhaps even come out stronger?
The key is to avoid the trap of being stuck in a routine. If your relationship has fallen into a comfortable pattern, then you need to shake it up. Here are 5 tips for your relationship that can help you curb boredom, as well as promote positivity amidst the chaos of the pandemic:
1. Make Yourself A Priority
Nurturing your relationship will be easier if you put yourself first. That might seem like a strange statement, given that most of us have spent our entire lives trying to put others first. We’re conditioned from a young age to please others, make them happy and avoid upsetting them at all costs. This can be especially true when we’re in a committed relationship. We want to be available to our partners whenever they need us. But it can be impossible to be your best self if you don’t take care of yourself first.
2. Set Goals
One of the most important keys to any successful relationship is communication. Just like in any job, it’s crucial that you know the expectations of any given project. How much work do you want to devote? What’s your timeline? Are there any red flags that might pop up in your path? It’s incredibly helpful if you sit down with your partner and discuss everything that’s on your plate and make a plan for how you’re going to handle it as a team. It can be really helpful if you create a shared calendar with all of your tasks and responsibilities that both of you can access and add time slots when each of you will be working on them.
3. Check-In With Your Partner
One of the biggest things you can do to be an awesome partner is to make sure that you check in with your significant other throughout the day, whether you’re relatively new in a relationship or have been together for many years. It’s important to communicate with one another about how your days are going, but it’s also really helpful to learn what’s going on in your partner’s head and to figure out ways to support them throughout their own day.
4. Spend Quality Time Together
As much as you love and adore your partner, being together all the time can be draining. Unfortunately, with the demands of life, you and your partner don’t always have time for yourself. The result is that both of you are tired, grumpy, and no fun to be around. Sound familiar? It’s time to put some healthy boundaries in place between you both so you can spend quality time together without killing each other in the process. Take time for yourself and ensure that there is time that you spend with your partner that is intentional and about nurturing your relationship, not just surviving through it.
5. Be Thankful For The Little Things
None of us are perfect partners, but we all want to be better, so try your best. Appreciate and thank each other for wanting to improve. Every day tell each other: “I see all the effort you’ve put into our relationship. Thank you.” Even though things are difficult right now, we have a lot to be thankful for; take time every day to share a few things you’re grateful for. The more gratitude you express, the more you will notice little things in life that make you happy, and that helps at a time like this.
Wellness in a relationship is achieved when partners are responsive to each other’s needs. Such a trait can never be taken for granted, as it requires a high level of commitment from both parties in order to achieve an effective balance between the demands of everyday life and the interests of those involved. In times of crisis, such as the advent of a pandemic like the one that continues across the globe, it becomes even more vital for couples to make an effort to stay healthy.
