How to Make Your Marriage Survive the Coronavirus
By now, we’ve already discussed how the virus lockdown affected couples Xi’an and New York City. Suffice it to say, they’re divorcing at higher-than-average rates. So what should you do during the virus lockdown to prevent yourself from wanting to murder your spouse or otherwise engaging in behaviors that are likely to cause the termination of your marriage?
Why is Quarantine Impacting Marriages?
The quarantine is incredibly stressful. Those who have had difficulties in their marriage are likely only to see those difficulties magnified when secluded with their husband or wife. A short list of valid worries that couples are navigating right now:
- The daily death toll of the virus exponentially skyrocketing
- Financial worries over lost income
- Having the kids around 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Worries concerning food and toilet paper shortages
- Worries about family members who are vulnerable to the worst symptoms
- Worries about their parents and how they’re going to survive
Add to this that the coronavirus coverage is an all-consuming, ever-present black hole that occupies a substantially large part of the average person’s mind, and you have a perfect storm.
Managing Quarantine Stress
While this has become the new normal, and humans are doing what humans do best, and adapting to the current situation, that doesn’t mean that it’s easy. Couples are being asked to navigate a very stressful and unprecedented situation. So how do you cope with it?
For those who are working and those who are not working, it helps to have something to look forward to. Families are learning how to once again spend time with one another doing sedentary activities that were once lamented by health professionals. Today, these activities are precisely what is keeping us sane. Movie and TV show marathons on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon are very popular right now.
While an entire family may not be able to decide what to watch, videogames have also become an opportunity to spend time with your family. Board games are making a comeback, as are “Hunt a Killer”-style sleuth games that can be enjoyed between couples quarantined together.
Spending Time With Friends During a Quarantine
While you may not be able to go over to your best friend’s house, spending time with your close friends was probably one of the things that was keeping your marriage together—you just didn’t realize it. Couples do need time apart from one another sometimes in order to improve the time they do spend with their spouses. And you can still do that, albeit, in a virtual way such as video conferencing.
But the couples who are going to make this work are not those whose marriages were falling apart before the COVID-19 outbreak. It’s more likely that these marriages will fail because the stress of the quarantine places one more added pressure on the marriage, and that one added pressure is the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Talk to a West Palm Beach Divorce Attorney
If your marriage isn’t going to survive the coronavirus, you should begin the preparation process early. While you can’t file papers yet, since the courts have been shut down, you can begin preparing by speaking to an attorney. The West Palm Beach divorce attorneys at Bruce S. Rosenwater & Associates can help. Call us today.
Resource:
newsweek.com/coronavirus-lockdown-partner-divorce-1492780
https://www.rosenwater.com/divorced-couples-navigate-coronavirus-quarantine/
