I’ve got a few survival strategies for couples during this pandemic. You might notice that I’m at this office building even though this place is empty. Because one of my survival strategies is that my husband and I cannot be under the same roof all day, every day.

Here are a few tips that I encourage all of you to use to protect your relationships during this time.

1. Communicate Acknowledgement and Appreciation

First and foremost, express your appreciation for and acknowledgement of your partner. Let them know that you appreciate them putting in the extra mile when they help you out. In fact, if you have kiddos and you want to make this a family ritual, it’s really easy at the dinner table at night to go around in a circle where everyone gets to pick one family member to acknowledge or appreciate.

2. Create A Parking Lot List

Secondly, I would love for you and your partner to create a parking lot list for issues and concerns that you agree need to be addressed and need to be resolved, but neither of you have the bandwidth to handle right now. So a parking lot can offer the two of you a little bit of grace. It can give you some permission to say, “I will get to this, but honestly I can’t get to it right now.”

3. Get Your Personal Needs Met Outside The Relationship

The third strategy that I really want to encourage you to employ is no matter what promises your partner made to you, they never promised to be your everything and they can’t. So it is your responsibility as a good partner to reach out to your friends, to frequently engage in your own self-care, and to get some exercise. You need to do those things that have nothing to do with your beloved that might also help keep your sanity in tact during these trying times. That is on you, and that is on your partner to do that for yourselves.

Now the warning sign that I want to put out there is that there are some emotional tolls being paid amidst this pandemic. And if you notice that there is an increase in tension and conflict between you and your partner, then that’s going to be an indicator that the two of you may need to get some relationship support sooner rather than later. Because when we come out on the other side of these quarantine weeks, we do not want your relationship with each other to bare the brunt of everything that has taken place. So please if you need to insulate your relationship, reach out for support if things get tough.

Do you want to learn more about our online counseling and online therapy services? All of Flourish’s counseling services have gone online. Call us today at 303-455-3767 x.5 or fill out our contact form.