I was fortunate enough to be able to ask my closest friends about their married life and how the pandemic has affected their love life and relationship as a whole. I got the exclusive look into the love lives of three lovely couples on their marriage journey through a pandemic.
I wanted to ask married couples about how the pandemic has affected their love lives because I couldn't help but wonder if quarantine was just cozy leisure time with their significant other. Love is the highest frequency, and my friends transformed the bond with their love to more than they could've ever imagined. I honestly couldn't be happier for them!
Here's what each of the 6 partners had to say about married life during a pandemic:
1. "It was great working from home while taking the time to appreciate the little things with people you love the most." -Â Mr. Schoonmaker, 28Â
"Although the world was full of worry and uncertainty at the time, it was great working from home while taking the time to appreciate the little things with people you love the most."
2. "We were lucky... It definitely was somewhat like a honeymoon and pretty sad when my husband had to return to work." -Â Mrs. Schoonmaker, 27
"My husband and I are fortunate to have jobs that we can do online and from home. Without our long commutes to work, this meant that during the pandemic we had a lot more time together. We were lucky that our lives, financial and personal, were not negatively affected so there was not any added stress to cause arguments. It was really nice being able to spend so much quality time together, vent during the workday, and even share our lunch break. It definitely was somewhat like a honeymoon and pretty sad when my husband had to return to work."
3. "It was nice to spend more time with her, especially because she was pregnant. If we were able to go to the beach it would have really been a honeymoon!" -Â Mr. Lokaj, 33
"I was working crazy hours before the pandemic and rarely saw my wife so it was nice to spend more time with her, especially because she was pregnant. If we were able to go to the beach it would have really been a honeymoon!"
4. "It was like a stay at home 'Babymoon.'" -Â Mrs. Lokaj, 28
"My husband and I were able to spend quality time together that we normally would not have been afforded due to the busy nature of his job and our opposite work schedules. We also were expecting our first child at the end of April so when quarantining began in March, it was like a stay at home "Babymoon" and we were able to cherish our last few weeks as a couple before we became a family of three."
5. "It allowed us to prioritize our personal life and evaluate what is important." - Dr. Kush, 28
"For me, COVID-19 wasn't a honeymoon but it wasn't bad either (from a relationship standpoint). I think of a honeymoon to be lying on a beach in Aruba, frolicking on the beach while singing. That certainly didn't happen during COVID-19. As essential personnel, we still spent quite a bit of time in the office, and also a small amount of time being discriminated against at gas stations and grocery stores by people afraid to serve us because of our profession. We had some extra time at home together but we were not spending 24/7 together at home like other couples. Having said that my favorite part of work is the fact that my wife and I work in the same office. I see her all the time and that's how we like it. We're one of those couples that are like two peas in a pod. It was nice having some extra time together and we took advantage of that to do interactive things (exercise, watch Netflix, do puzzles, play board games). We also had to deal with all kinds of work-related stress, a non-COVID-19 related death in the family, and extra time at home that allowed us to pull back and go 'Hey, I don't want to live here anymore. Let's just leave.' It allowed us to prioritize our personal life and evaluate what is important."
6. "We supported each other with our challenges, did what we could to help the other with stress, and made the best of the situation.e." -Â Dr. Melanie, 28
"For me, life at home during COVID-19 was best described as a juxtaposition of internal peace, external conflict. Internally, as a couple, we went from "contemplation" to "action" on our four-year goals. We supported each other with our challenges, did what we could to help the other with stress, and made the best of the situation. Externally, being self-employed made things complicated. Finances changed, work challenges came up, and patients unloaded a ton of their stress onto us. It was chaos. Being doctors, we see our world through a different lens. Much as in the parable of the crazy king, it was during this time that we made the major decision to leave the kingdom rather than to drink from the well. Prior to this experience, we had reservations about where we lived. We want to raise our children to be free and didn't feel that was possible there. My husband and I essentially had a common antithesis/a common fight so even though stuff got stressful, we had each other for support. Some of our off days were spent doing puzzles, playing Dance Dance Revolution on PS2, obsessing over long games of Monopoly, and lying in the kiddie pool on our balcony while working from home. We both have very high EQs which is why I think we internally (as a couple) remained solid. Would I call COVID-19 a honeymoon for us? Not likely. Free of stress, in Aruba, it might have been. However anytime threats to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs come into the equation, joy and relaxation take a backseat. What would I describe COVID-19 as for us? Maximum adulting, complete with intense communication and major moves toward our 'best life.'"
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