Some of you are on week two or three (maybe more) of sheltering at home with your partner in social isolation. During this forced togetherness there is a golden opportunity for you and your partner to improve the quality of your relationship. You have a chance to address and work through any issues you may have and to generally speaking deepen your connection and learn to love each other better. I believe social isolation can be good for your relationship.
Both of you may be anxious and concerned about Coronavirus, your loved ones and friends and may have added financial worries or concerns. A lot of these things fall under the category of things you cannot control and your energy is better spent on what you can control and what’s within your power to affect. Your relationship with your partner is something you can have a profound and immediate impact on.
You and your partner are bound to be spending a great deal more time in social isolation from others and may be spending more time one on one than you have in a very long time. Make the best use of your time together by having conversations that you may have been putting off. Talk about feelings, hopes and dreams that you have, your worries and concerns about the virus, and let your partner know that you’re glad to be in social isolation with them. Don’t forget the good stuff like planning your next vacation if and when you can get on a plane again. Put up a tent in the back yard camping outside with the kids is a blast. How about a romantic wine and cheese party outside? Appreciate all the things you have and maximize the love between you.
Avoid the temptation to bust out your “honey do” list and put your partner to work. Instead come up with projects that the two of you can do together. Things you may have been putting off because they seemed too labor-intensive or daunting long-term projects can be more easily accomplished with another set of hands to help. Social isolation give you both the chance to work through your procrastination list, so you can play together later without guilt.
Social isolation provides an opportunity for the two of you to play together and be more intimate. You have much more time to just be together, to have more sex, do more cuddling. Unless you have an essential job to go to, you can feel free to take your time, just savoring sweet moments together. Have you ever just wanted to stay in bed all day? Here’s your chance to have a bit of distraction and escapism from all the worry and anxiety that we’re all feeling. Nothing wrong with that!
If there are things that you and your partner need to deal with and have been avoiding, there’s no time like the present to get them out in the open and talk about them. You each have a captive audience due to social isolation and a great opportunity to work things through. Just remember to stay focused on what is important now. Your partner and your relationship, your health and emotional well-being need to be nurtured and cared for now more than ever. You and your partner are sharing the burden of social isolation and you both need to kind to each other and cut each other some slack. This is a difficult time for everyone, you can be thankful that you have someone with you and you are not facing the uncertainty of the future alone. Together you will weather this storm and it will make your relationship even stronger.
