With this ongoing and seemingly unending difficulty, some have figured out creative ways to optimize their time, helping maintain existing relationships or build new ones. These methods are largely based around virtual spaces, such as online happy hours, writing workshops, and dating platforms. Meanwhile, some folks opt to multi-task, folding laundry while catching up with friends on Zoom, or taking a walk outside while talking to family members on the phone. Though some have adapted and found new ways to connect, others have struggled to foster and maintain their relationships. Several factors could contribute to the strain, including distance, new or changing familial responsibilities, workload, or just overall stress. Stress is a major one, especially considering that many of the factors contributing to the worldwide spike in anxiety are out of our control. Individuals can, however, address the smaller, tangible parts of their daily lives, including how we approach relationships of all types during this time.
The Pressure of Loneliness
Whether out of necessity or caution, for many individuals, COVID-19 has meant solitude. But relationship experts like licensed marriage and family therapist Sean Davis, PhD, suggest not limiting your safe methods of interaction: “If safe to do so, schedule some time together. If meeting in person is not safe, just start chatting again. “Or, if you’ve been chatting all along, increase the intimacy of the medium, such as going from texting to FaceTime or calling. The friendships that are worth maintaining should be eager for this opportunity,” says Davis. For those living alone, there can be pressure to reach out and foster new relationships. While this might feel like the right direction, Davis says that nurturing your relationships that already exist may be a great first step. “I’d recommend strengthening the relationships you already have in place—peripheral relationships are often used as a distraction from the work required to strengthen troubled primary relationships,” says Davis.
Boundaries and Communication
Whether familial, platonic, or otherwise, the pandemic has undoubtedly caused some tension in many relationships. It can be easy to blame the stress of the pandemic on crumbling communication, but Davis argues these effects may actually be magnifying what already was present. “COVID has led most people to have fewer, deeper relationships. The casual peripheral relationships have been replaced with more time with family at home," Davis says. “For many, that time has led to a deepening of family connections. But for others, it has led to a widening of rifts that could previously be ignored when people didn’t have to spend so much time together. “In other words, already strong relationships may have become stronger, and weak relationships may have grown weaker, or withered entirely,” Davis says. When aiming to nurture relationships during this stressful time, it is important to both develop and maintain communication and boundaries. Many of us have endured altered or heightened expectations from coworkers or friends due to the pandemic because we are all at home. It can be difficult to both address the need for alone time and maintain a positive relationship. “Have a discussion with them and explain your need for physical and emotional space. If possible, carve out a regular time and place each day where you can close the door and be alone—and respect others’ desire to do the same,” Davis says.
Don’t Forget About You
Another relationship that is important to nurture is the one we have with ourselves. Davis says, “Research has shown, the more isolated you are, the more conspiratorial and negative your thoughts become. It becomes easier to attribute negative intent to someone’s actions, assume they’re thinking negatively of you, convince yourself it’s better to remain isolated, and so forth.” During this time, especially for those who may live alone or with a spouse, partner, or roommate who is an essential worker, the sharp increase in alone time has allowed for ample—and sometimes too much—space for processing our own thoughts. Often, due to the daily hustle and bustle of our lives in more normal times, we can bypass the necessary but sometimes lengthy process of working through our feelings. Now—not so much. According to Davis, “a lot of people have a difficult time sitting with themselves, which the pandemic has given us in spades. So if you’re rekindling a relationship right now, make sure it isn’t just to distract you from working on yourself.” While nobody would suggest the pandemic has been a good thing, it has provided some opportunities for self-reflection and self-improvement. The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit our coronavirus news page. It is also important to remember that each of the relationships in your life can benefit from some grace and evaluation during this time, including those connected to your family and your coworkers. While we enter and stay in each of these relationships for differing reasons, they all require us to bring our best selves to the table, which can be hard to do in times of stress. Therefore, consider the best way to construct boundaries and enforce communication that will be beneficial to everyone involved.
