The commencement of the coronavirus pandemic threw the world into chaos, causing millions of people to stay away from friends, family and close loved ones.
This, in turn, had a huge impact, making it more difficult than ever to date, meet new people or sustain existing relationships. Restaurants were shut, pubs were closed, cinemas were a no-go – all of the typical things you did on a date were no more.
However, in some cases, relationships were able to blossom. After all, many people finally had the time to dedicate towards talking, planning and spending with their partner – whether that be someone they’d met prior to the pandemic or met online during one of the lockdowns.
Every lockdown-formed relationship is different and, despite the pandemic putting an inevitable strain on them at times, it’s important to identify ways that can sustain it both now and in the future – for both you and your partner’s sake.
Especially now that there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel of the pandemic, we thought we’d highlight a few methods to do exactly that, guiding you through what you need to do to sustain a relationship formed during the lockdown.
Accept the situation for what it is
The first – and arguably most important – thing you need to do is accept the situation for what it is.
The past few months have been incredibly difficult for all involved, with an overwhelming feeling of uncertainty in the air and job losses in their thousands.
Not only that, but the sudden transition to working from home and being unable to see friends and family has left many people’s mental health under scrutiny, potentially affecting their ability to be intimate with their partner.
As such, it’s important to remember this when it comes to thinking about your relationship. If you or your partner are going through a particularly stressful time at the moment, don’t put any unnecessary pressure on yourselves by doubting your relationship.
Communicate with each other
Another important area to think about when sustaining a lockdown relationship is how well you communicate with each other.
Good communication is absolutely imperative in any relationship, after all, so if you have recently started to fall out of touch with each other, ask yourself why.
Whether it be due to stress-related reasons, an unresolved issue, a growing resentment towards one another or something else entirely, only by talking through your problems will you be able to address them and move forward.
Partners are not mind readers and you should feel comfortable enough to talk to them about whatever is on your mind. If you don’t, consider utilising the help of a trained relationship counsellor who will not only be able to provide you and your partner with a safe space to talk about how you feel, but also prevent the situation from worsening.
Plan some activities together
After spending multiple months stuck inside with nothing to do but watch films, do jigsaws, or go out on walks, it can be quite a surreal feeling now having the ability to go out and plan things to do together.
But that shouldn’t be a cause for concern – if anything, it should excite you, finally giving both you and your partner a chance to see how you both act out in the real world. Therefore, to sustain your relationship effectively, ask your partner for a few ideas of what you could both do together.
Whether it be a weekend trip away, a pub visit to meet each other’s friends and family, or an activity you’ve talked about doing for months, make a list of your ideas and slowly work your way through them. You should find you both grow a lot closer as a result.
Keep working at it
Sustaining a relationship can take a lot of hard work and effort at the best of times but, in light of the pandemic, it’s arguably more difficult than ever before.
However, as the points above should now demonstrate, by accepting and embracing the situation for what it is, you’ll be able to come out of it a lot stronger than before.
The key thing to remember is that it all comes down to communication. Talk to each other about how you feel, what you’d like to do together and make time to be affectionate with them. That way, we promise your relationship will be a lot stronger as a result.
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