Managing Your Relationship During Lockdown

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Over the course of this month so far, I’ve spoken about at-home date ideas for couples to do during lockdown and virtual date ideas for those who are apart. But I’m yet to speak about the nitty-gritty of actually managing your relationship whilst in lockdown. A lot of us are spending a LOT of time with our partners right now. Much more than normal. And it’d only be natural for you to need to put in a bit of extra work to make sure you don’t both drive each other up the walls!

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

Relationships take work. Pandemic or not. But when we’re thrown into an extra stressful situation, sometimes the cracks of our relationships start to show. Perhaps a partner wasn’t as supportive as you originally thought they were. Or perhaps you realise that your priorities aren’t what you believed.

And it’s safe to say that right now, we are DEFINITELY in a stressful situation. Some more so than others but all of us will have a sense of doom looming over our heads every time we turn the news on or open up the news app on our iPhone.

If you’re not in a relationship but are actively dating – whether that’s heading out into your local town (when we can!) or using dating sites such as The Bristol Dating Site and The Berkshire Dating Site – this could still be helpful information for you. Because if this year has taught us anything, it’s that ANYTHING can happen.

So today we’re going to look at various ways we can help make our relationships work and manage our relationship whilst in lockdown:

Communicate effectively

I think the most important thing in any relationship, at any time, is communication. We all need to be able to communicate effectively with each other in order to live as harmoniously as possible. And this definitely goes for being in lockdown with your partner too.

So communicate with each other. Is something bothering you? Are you stressed? Is something they’re doing not working for you? Tell them. We all have voices – let’s use them.

Spend time together

Although we are physically going to be spending a LOT of time together, there’s a difference between just being in the same room as each other and spending quality time together. Quality time is what you need to be focusing on in lockdown because that’s what will keep you closer.

Perhaps have an entire day away from your phones and play games together? Or cook a nice meal together and have a make-shift date night? There are loads of ways to spend quality time together at home!

Spend time apart

And equally as important, is spending time apart. As much as we love our partners, spending time alone is healthy and good for us. Try and make sure you both have your own individual hobbies which allows you to spend time apart – albeit only in different rooms. Work away from each other at least once a day.

Help each other where necessary

Like we all know and like we’ve just covered, it is a STRESSFUL time right now. Supporting each other is one of the most important things we can do. And I’m not just talking about supporting an elderly neighbor who might not be able to get out to the shops. Supporting those right in front of us is equally as important.

There may be times where our partner isn’t coping very well but because you see them all day, every day, you don’t notice. So ensure you both have a good understanding of how you can help each other. At least just to make this nightmare a little more bearable.

How are you managing your relationship right now during lockdown? Have you found yourself spending more time with your partner than usual? Has anything changed in your relationship? Let me know!