Has the Current Lockdown Caused Stress in Your Marriage or Relationship?

By Dixie Andelin Forsyth, 05/15/20

These days are unprecedented in most of our lives. Even for those people whose financial health isn’t seriously affected, many report that their marriages and relationships are stressed more than ever before.

There are several potential areas that can trigger even more stress that many are experiencing now:

1. Money issues: Financial security is one of a woman’s basic needs. The loss of security can cause many women to feel on edge, with a shorter temper, more fear, and fragile patience.

2. Inability to have normal outlets for stress such as:

Sports
Movies
Clubs or bars
Gyms
In person friends
Church support

3. More responsibility in the education of our children/many women still working full time from home.

Wow. Lots of extra stress! But what are our outlets for this increased stress now?

Outlets now:

TV
Minimal exercise at home or around neighborhood
Gardening where permissible and if desired.
Art/crafts (though some have a limited ability to find supplies for these things right now)
Home improvement time for some.

And, how do you feel now?

Are you feeling:

Trapped?
Scared?
Too much responsibility?
Feeling inadequate to adapt to what is now expected?
Afraid of getting sick?

But this isn’t all. In addition to your new stressors, your man also has them as well. What might they be?

What are his feelings?

He is also under a lot of extra stress. Has he lost his job? Been laid off?
Is he scared?
Does he feel like a failure?
Is he afraid he won’t be able to take care of you properly?
Has he lost his retirement? His savings?
Afraid of getting sick? Health problems?

No wonder you’re feeling so overwhelmed!! No wonder he is feeling it too!

Here are 10 tips that can help keep your relationship not only intact but make it even stronger. This can be a great opportunity for you.

What you can do:

1. Make your relationship with him a daily important priority. Spend more time talking/visiting with him. Find ways to validate him. He can and should still be your hero.

2. Treasure hunt for qualities in him and your life. As you look for them, you’ll find them. Find them even in the smallest things.

3. Remember how important HE is in your life. Go back in your mind to when you fell in love with him. Not taking someone for granted is a choice. Decide to appreciate him today. Every day. Feel grateful you have him in your life.

4. Serve him; go out of your way for him. You love who you serve. Do little things for him like offering to help him, do things for him, etc. Fold his laundry before yours and put his away first. He won’t even know about it. Make it your secret gift.

5. Identify why you are so stressed. Identifying it will help you not blame others and put it into perspective

6. Take care of your own outlook; stay positive. You might have to refocus several times a day to stay upstairs.

7. This present lockdown won’t last. Things will eventually get better. How will I look back on this? On the way I acted? Will I be proud or feel bad?

8. When/if you do feel hurt by him, you can practice the principles of girlishness. This can help you deepen your relationship while dealing with injured feelings.

9. Get more organized. Routines and schedules help. Do something you can do something about such as self-care and your appearance. When you are upstairs yourself, you won’t take things out on him as often.

10. Take the opportunity to get to know him even better. Talk about fond things in the past, support his feelings, have the attitude; I might not get this much time with him again all at once.

No matter what happens to you during your life, your relationship can weather it. There will always be tough things to go through along with the many joys. You can become stronger by learning and applying the principles of Fascinating Womanhood for the Timeless Woman. You can do this!