Of the many ways the coronavirus pandemic has changed our lives, one of the most significant might be the way it has changed relationships.
In the U.S, and around the world, millions of couples who have led largely separate lives during the workday suddenly find themselves quarantined at home. They are stuck together all day, every day, with no end in sight.
According to McLean Hospital psychiatrist, Jacqueline Olds, M.D., this newfound togetherness “can raise your stress sky high.”
Olds, who works in the Belmont, Massachusetts hospital that is affiliated with Harvard Medical School, says that the stressors caused by the COVID-19 crisis are compounded by the adjustments couples must make when forced to shelter indefinitely at home.
“You might be worried if you’re going to make it economically, if you’re going to lose your savings, or how you’re going to take care of your children at home,” she said. “And you may take it out on the only person who is around—your partner.”
Both Olds and her husband, Richard S. Schwartz, MD, also a psychiatrist at McLean, have written on issues facing couples and they believe that partners can effectively deal with the pressures brought on by the pandemic by being vigilant, open, and willing to ask for help. They also believe that there might be a “silver lining” in the quarantine—if couples know where to look.
For instance, Olds recommends that individuals “take their emotional pulse every now and then.” Find out how they are doing with each other. If the pulse is too rapid, Olds and Schwartz suggest a tried-and-true approach to diffusing anger and stress: counting to ten. “If you think you’re about to say something unfair or nasty to your partner, you can just count to ten and let it pass,” Schwartz said in a recent McLean Hospital press release.
The couple also suggest that since confinement in close quarters can spur anger and frustration in the best of times, they recommend finding separation. “The central strategy for dealing with yourself when you’re angry or feeling stress is to take a break, to create some time and space between you and your partner,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz said that “couples should think carefully when they are confined together about how to physically or mentally create space as part of the ordinary rhythm of the day.” For example, couples working from home could work in separate rooms. Also, individuals can designate times during the day when they want to be alone or not spoken to.
And, if these strategies aren’t working for a couple, Schwartz points out that reaching out for help is a new and daunting problem. Obviously, these are difficult times for people who are looking for a mental health provider for the first time,” Schwartz said. However, he reported, there are many online platforms that can connect patients with providers.
“One of the things that has been impressive and sudden is the way that mental health services have been transformed into something that is being done almost entirely remotely,” he stated. Platforms for online sessions, including virtual couples therapy, are growing. Also, clinicians are learning that remote counseling sessions are effective. “I think most people are finding that working with patients remotely goes pretty well, and it’s not all that different,” he said.
Despite the struggles facing many couples during the pandemic, Olds said that some are thriving. “The couples that are doing well are the ones who are adept at looking at the positive and finding the silver lining,” she said. These couples “see this as a staycation or a second honeymoon,” she stated. Olds said that spending more time together means that couples can “take the things that they like to do together and do more of them, like taking walks.” These times can also be relaxing for some couples, she said. “There’s no pressure to make plans or get out of the house.
For more information:
Cooped-Up Couples: Therapists Outline How to Navigate Newfound Togetherness During COVID-19
Written by James Windell, MA
