When the coronavirus epidemic first hit hard, we saw most major cities go into lockdown. With couples working from home, children missing school and our time spent outdoors several limited, relationships were hit hard. Many married couples found out things about their partner they never knew. Some of those things they discovered they just couldn’t stand. Sadly, lockdown proved to be the final crack for several shaky relationships.
Thankfully, not all married couples fell apart under the pressure of isolation. Some used the time at home, free from the demands of work, deadlines, the gym and nights out with friends to reconnect with their spouse. In short, we’re delighted to report lots of marriages became stronger in lockdown.
Couples spent time together talking, walking, watching box sets, drinking wine and even using a shared interest in football to combine their knowledge and work as a team to beat the bookies using online sports betting. You’d think there wasn’t much to do stuck at home day after day, but you’d be wrong.
Now the world is beginning to open back up again, coronavirus restrictions have eased, and we are rapidly heading back to what was once known as normality. Will we go back to our old ways? There are some tricks to passing the time during lockdown that couples should stick with as we enter this brave new dawn. Let’s look at the three simple but effective examples below.
Watching TV
Whether it was live sport, old movies or binge-watching box sets, couples spent more time at home with not a lot to do, so they turned to an old favourite – TV. Television came to the rescue of many relationships. With the news stories filled with doom and gloom, scaring many citizens into giving the COVID-19 pandemic the respect it deserved, millions of us used television as an escape.
We did something we hadn’t done for years, and that was put down our smartphones – no one was doing anything worth finding out anyway – and we just sat together. Yes, there may have been far too many snacks and unhealthy food choices. Yes, some box sets were only really interesting to one half of the relationship. And yes, it may have paved the way for a few unplanned pregnancies – helping fuel the lockdown baby boom. But it did have couples spending quality time together again. Something we are all guilty of not doing enough of pre- covid.Â
Chatting
Ok, this entry may be stating the obvious, but before lockdown, did you really chat to your partner the way you used to. Even if you did, were you listening? There may have been nothing to talk about with everyone stuck indoors, but without your partner to chat with, things would have been a lot worse. Being home alone in lockdown must have been tough.Â
Sitting and chatting about the future became a thing again. You may not be teenagers anymore, making grand plans for holidays, houses, dogs and babies, but there’s still plenty to look forward to when COVID is over. Married couples planned holidays, sketched out home improvements, promised to do things they had always dreamt of but had put off to make room for one thing or another.
Planning for when life got back to normal was exciting. It made couples feel young again, and it helped re-ignite the old spark. They put the kids to bed, opened the wine and talked into the wee small hours. Couples should ensure that’s something they do as often as possible, even if they don’t stick to the big plans.
Going for a stroll
A healthy body makes for a healthy mind. Trips outdoors were restricted in the early part of lockdown, but people needed to move. They needed to get out and breathe fresh air, exercise and take their minds off the long hard months that lay ahead.
Couples walked together, ran together or even did more serious exercises together in an attempt to burn off the extra calories and finally get back to their target weight. We hope to see couples out walking and running more in future. Exercise is great for bringing people together, regardless of how well known they are to each other. It lifts your spirits, encourages conversation and is healthy.