Source: blackCAT / Getty
Difficult times have a way of shining a light on a lot of things in your life. When all is well in the world, and nothing is too challenging, you can usually ignore some issues going on in your life. Perhaps you are in the wrong industry and you know it but, the fun workplace, the coworker you have a crush on, and good office snacks distract you from that. Something like a, oh, I don’t know pandemic like the one we’re in now would land you working at home, away from the superficial perks of your job, and facing the reality that you don’t get much joy from the actual work. That’s just one example of a way that tough times like these can finally make you see some tough truths. It can do that for your relationship, too. I know so many couples who have only lasted as long as they have because life hasn’t thrown them struggles. They do well financially. They can always smooth over an argument with a weekend vacation, on which they just drink by a pool and barely talk. Again, avoidance. But when things get really tough and you don’t get to ignore the issue – like when a pandemic takes you away from your friends, causes financial stress, and even potentially causes health issues – you can’t brush it under the rug. You have to deal with it, and it may make some relationship issues that already existed, even worse.
Clinginess
If there was already codependency going on there, and you were interfering with one another’s growth because you always chose the relationship over everything else – travel with friends, networking conventions – that will only be worsened now. Now your codependent habits will become intensified as you’re quarantined together.
