With COVID-19 regulations pushing families and even entire governments to their very limits, times like these can be very stressful. Stressful times cause people to be on edge, it’s in our instinct after all.
And that fight or flight coping mechanism that we all have engraved into our genetic code, comes fights, misunderstandings, and even times where tensions are at an all-time high.
Times are stressful, what you need to know is how to cool down when you’re tense because of the lockdown. This is why we’re here to give you tips on how to keep morale high and tensions low during the pandemic!
Fears, Anxiety, and Vulnerability
Talking about your fears and anxieties is easier said than done. However, it’s something that we have to be open to talk to our loved ones about in times like these.
All of this is simply a part of a necessary grieving process that’ll both strengthen our bond and also gives a sense of relief.
Grieving about being cut off from your friends, family, having to cancel plans you were looking forward to, and even people that we lose. Nobody was expecting or asking this to happen and yet things unfold so quickly. If these are things you don’t open up about, you can be isolated in your thoughts and feel helpless.
Approaching this vulnerability and empathy instead of accusations will help remove the risk of tension when talking about serious things. Asking “Can you tell me more about why you’re feeling like this?” instead of lashing out or throwing passive aggression can save your family from being in shambles.
Be Kind to Yourself and Your Family
Now is not the time to be self-deprecating and critical on your flaws. At times like this, accepting that flaws are natural and that they’re not a sign that we are lacking as a partner, person, or a parent.
Show the same level of kindness and compassion to yourself as you would show to a close friend. Do that to your partner as well!
Give them encouraging or reassuring words, compliment them, do whatever it takes to uplift everyone’s spirits!
Avoid Arguments
Starting an argument is probably the worst thing you can do right now. Especially having an unresolved and heated one in front of your kids. Arguments affect children just as much, if not more than it affects you and your partner.
Fights and conflicts are going to inevitably happen, instead of fighting each other, learn to tackle the problem instead of storming off and cooling down on your own. In the worst case you do storm off, make sure to come back and resolve things.
Including your older children or teens in the conversation will help you get the views of everyone in the house. If a family dilemma occurs, consider everyone’s viewpoint into account.
Alone Time – How To Manage It
Being together all the time isn’t the symbol of a perfect relationship. This is because it’s impossible for us to not crave some alone time. This is especially difficult to get now that you’re constantly with each other every day.
Everyone needs their time alone. All of us have their private selves that they keep a secret to everyone else! Being in solitude allows some people to refresh their social bar and allows them to stay less tense as well.
Try to have a schedule for people to be isolated in a room for a few hours. This’ll help everyone in your family cope with how they’d like and refill their social bars.
Afterward, you can go watch a movie or even just stay in the same room without interacting! Knowing when to enjoy people’s company or be alone is the first step to making sure tensions stay low and morale stays high.
Do Things You Enjoy Together – Stop Overthinking
It’s easy to think of the worst possible things that could happen and and have you stressing every day. Fixating on the negatives while refusing to see the positives can get you down in the dumps. Think about the family time you’re getting with the kids and having more time with your pets as well!
This is also a reason why being friends with other couples and families is important. Having Zoom or Skype calls with them or even just taking online classes with your partner can prove to be very beneficial!
Stopping to watch Netflix together or doing shared hobbies is a lot better than fixating on the new scary statistic that you read about.
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