How Can I Improve My Relationship During Covid?
While we enter into month 9,485 of whatever 2020 has brought us, the concern of the moment is: how are your relationships going? This can be a significant other, a family member, a friend, a roommate, or what have you. There are countless studies on relationships, but not so many on how to deal with your relationship during a once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic.
So what can you do to help 1. your mental health and 2. your relationship?
Set boundaries and a schedule. Yes, it feels weird if you haven’t done this over the past 6 months of quarantine, but please try. We promise it will help your sanity and it will help set a structure. For at least one week, try to set up a structure for everyone in the house to follow. This is especially important if you have kids (school will hopefully help this).
Morning: try to start by moving! If you are still working from home, try to start with a walk to move and leave your home for a bit.
Create a lunchtime and stick to it!
Afternoon: make sure you get your work or school done.
Make dinner structured and maybe even fun! Try to divvy up the dinner duties and chores among whoever is in your home. Trying different recipes can be a fun way to to mix up staying at home.
Evening: Create some wind-down schedules. Maybe your home team would work well with different themed nights (Movie Mondays, game night Thursdays).
Prioritize “me time” for everyone in the house. This was important B.C. (Before Covid) and it’s even more important now. If a structured schedule outlined in the first point above works for your home, make sure that “me time” is included. Use this time to go to different rooms (if available), or alternate using a room for this purpose. You can also go for walks in your neighborhood, at parks, or beaches.
Make sure to branch out your social circles (yes, virtually). Your inner circle can get very small very quickly and time turns into a blur, right? Make sure to maintain the other relationships that are important to you. Set up Zoom dates with family and friends who you are unable to safely spend in-person time with.
COMMUNICATE in the bedroom and out of the bedroom. As always, communication is key in any relationship. If you’re feeling up, down, out of it, whatever, share that with your people! If you’re with your significant other, make sure the lines of communication are open mentally and physically. Keep the flame going, whether that be role playing or buying some new toys, all is important. Maybe try adding some sexy time to your schedule - whether that’s with or without a partner.
Keep your beautiful chins up, babies! We can get through this together.