The last sixteen months have changed the landscape of so much of our lives, whether it be at work, social or domestically based. There are very few people who have not been touched by the pandemic in one way or another. The assessment of what has changed and how we personally have been changed has not really begun. Many people are still in survival mode, ducking and diving to adjust to ever changing demands in the workplace, from schools, in who we can and can’t see and from just completing the essentials like the weekly shop. It has been exhausting.
However, at some point there will be a time of reckoning. We can’t say when that will be, but all pandemics eventually grind to a halt and some sort of altered normality eventually establishes itself.
Assessment and Change
At that point many people will look around them and start to consider the situation they find themselves in. In some cases, people have not waited to assess where they stand. We see the changes on LinkedIn, newspapers, Facebook and from conversations with others. Some individuals have taken lockdown as a time to initiate changes by themselves. New careers, retraining, new relationships or even partial/complete retirement. That’s not been the case for all though. The shock of Covid has not allowed many to do more than get by and hope for an end to the daily challenges.
How have your Relationships fared?
How has Covid affected your relationships with others? Has adversity brought you closer to some people but seen you drift away from others? Some people have not been able to see loved ones for months on end. The stress and strains of that are unimaginable. What about your marriage or relationship with your significant other? You may not be at a stage yet to assess the full impact of the pandemic on your closest relationship but sooner or later you will have to.
For many couples, lockdown has reduced stresses as long commutes and school runs have been resigned to the dustbin for long periods. Shared time has increased and with that, relationships have found themselves again. The reasons why you fell in love in the first place, have been rekindled!
For others, lockdown has been unbearable. The cracks and problems already there in the relationship, that were controlled by time apart from each other, have just spread and become untenable as weeks and months together has forced you to confront what you were ignoring.
Get Support and Talk to People
Wherever you are in your journey through this part of the pandemic, make sure you seek support if you need it. There are a large number of mental health organisations and charities offering free advice. Talk to friends and colleagues and don’t bottle up what you are feeling as you will no doubt find that many other people are in the same place!
If your marriage has reached a point where you need to discuss options, then contact our family team at rhw. They will discuss your options and allow you to think about what it is you really want moving forward. If you are not ready to do that, then take a note of rhw’s contact details and reach out when you are feeling more comfortable about taking the next step.
Contact rhw’s Family Law Team on 01483 302000 or email
