23
LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
6 Ways to Keep COVID Restrictions from Killing Your Relationship nitely has something wrong. The fact is, sometimes you're going to get on each other's nerves. Actually, the likelihood is that the more face time you get with your partner, the more annoying things tend to become. Don't panic, this is perfectly normal. While bickering and arguing are normal in any relationship, what is counterproductive is holding on to anger or resentment. Negativity breeds negativity. Lingering negative feelings can become toxic for your relationship, and are usually easily avoidable. Most of the time all you have to do is talk about it instead of bottling it up.
BY MARY CAMPBELL 311DIVORCE.COM
L
et's face it. Being stuck at home sucks in a lot of ways. It is bad enough to be locked in the confines of the square footage of your home, but going stir-crazy can also have terrible impacts on your relationship. This is especially true for couples who live together and even more so for couples who work remotely from home together as well. Here are some helpful tips to keep confinement from messing with your relationship. 1) Respect Each Other's Personal Space No one wants someone in their face 24/7, and the truth is when people go long periods without breaks from one another even the simplest of habits can get annoying quickly. Nitpicking can become an easy fallback. People often nitpick without even realizing they do it, but it can get annoying quickly. Set up some divisions of space to avoid smothering your significant other. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, even if it's from another room in the
house. Giving one another a little bit of extra space goes a long way in maintaining balance in your relationship. Sometimes a little "me time" is just the ticket. 2) Plan a Date Night Lockdown means that going out and doing normal couple things is limited to supermarket visits and rendezvous in the local pharmacy aisles. That does not exactly scream romantic, nor do the sweatpants you've been bumming in for
2 weeks. The truth is social confinement doesn't have to mean a dating drought. Pick a night to get dressed up and have a nice candlelit dinner in the comfort of your own home, or move all the furniture out of the way and have a dance party in the living room. What you do doesn't matter so long as you take some time to focus on each other. 3) Argue, but Don't Dwell Any couple that can get through months of confinement without arguing defi-
4) Speaking of Talking... One of the unspoken side effects of COVID confinement is social anxiety. With a worldwide campaign stressing the importance of distance, it is easy to apply that to your relationship as well. That is likely to put a strain on communicating with your partner. Don't forget to take the time to talk to your partner. Even if it is just to check in and just say hi, remaining approachable gives your partner a sense of security. continued on page 25
VISIT WWW.CAWNYC.COM FOR THE LATEST CARIBBEAN NEWS, IMMIGRATION UPDATES, VIEWPOINTS, ENTERTAINMENT & MORE!LIKE US ON FACEBOOK @CAWNYC!
