Whether you’re going through a tough time now or just want to prepare for potential challenges in the future, these tips can help you and your partner navigate difficult times with grace and understanding.
Here are our suggestions on how to safeguard relationships during times of stress:
1. Don’t make big relationship decisions. In the heat of the moment, it is too easy to make fatal mistakes that will be difficult to correct later. And this “later” will come – trust us!
2. Do not talk about controversial, emotionally charged topics, establish a moratorium on them. Especially if you know for sure that your views differ, and you will not be able to agree on the “truth” by arguing – but something important (love, respect, care) can die in the process.
3. Do not “dump” your anxieties on your loved ones. Yes, it’s not easy to cope, but everyone must control their emotions. Fear and anxiety are not good reasons to make a “waste basket” out of your partner by “dumping” your emotional stress on them. You can share, but not drown them with an avalanche of negativity.
4. Take care of the common space. If you treat your house as your fortress, it will strengthen you as a couple and each of you individually. Take out the heavy FROM the house, and do not carry it INTO the house: it is better to resolve controversial issues outside the space where you expect to find safety.
5. Establish rituals for the two of you as a couple if you did not have them before. And if you used to have rituals, do not abandon them even in difficult times. Anything will do: reading aloud at night before bed, cooking together on Saturdays, building lighthouses (puzzles, Lego), and anything else that suits both of you.
6. Respect each other’s personal space. If your partner needs to be alone – this is okay. If you need to lie down and remain silent or walk alone – say so. We deal with stress in different ways. “Being together” sometimes means stepping away for a while, and later hugging each other with warmth and gratitude.
7. Support each other. Doing simple household chores together works wonders and makes you feel loved. Cook your partner’s favorite soup, buy them a croissant in their favorite café on your way home, or put an apple in their bag before they leave for work. You may ask them: how should I take care of you? It’s the little things that make up our lives.
8. Separate what is “outside” from what is inside, separate the negative from the relationship. Work together against the stress, not against each other.
9. Do not forget that both of you are responsible for your relationship. Do not shift the responsibility to your partner: “You are a man, therefore you must …”, “This is your responsibility – to cook dinner and maintain the house in order!”. You can only succeed together.
10. Follow our couple’s program LOVESTORM. This course is designed to guide you and your partner through the ups and downs of your relationship and equip you with the skills and knowledge you need to become a happier couple. The course is created by experienced therapists who specialize in helping couples, and can be attended alone or together (for the same price!)
Click below to learn how you can enroll:
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