Due to the national UK lockdown from March 23rd, until a sense of normality was established again in the late summer, it has become evident that more couples are facing challenges in their relationships and solicitors are receiving more calls from couples who wish to divorce. Why are couples more likely to split up as a result of lockdown? With the divorce rate in the UK pre-Covid 19 already above 40%, it is no surprise that this period of uncertainty and social isolation has led to couples becoming more irritable within each other’s company. There are however, a couple of major reasons as to why lockdown has led to relationships deteriorating. Social Isolation Not only has the pandemic put immense pressure on people’s mental health due to the uncertainty of being put back into a lockdown again, but it has meant couples have had to spend more time together at home, when normally they would have spent time apart and at their separate work places. Being at home 24/7 has strained relationships and led to arguments to occur between spouses. Couples are not used to spending this much time together and so it is inevitable that being with one another all the time can lead to arguments. Additionally, their mental health may be deteriorating and they may find it is much more restrictive to see family, friends and colleagues who they would have met with in normal circumstances or seen at work. Work from home Individuals have had to adapt and work from home as a result of the pandemic and the challenges in restricting the spread of the virus. Working from home has been challenging for some families, as they have had to establish rooms in their home to use for their work and may face working from home until offices in major cities, such as London, reopen. Couples may have struggled to establish a routine together at home and may have found it difficult to share new responsibilities that come with working at home, such as making lunches and looking after their children. This may well have led to conflict in the household and a much more tense environment, in which an individual and their partner find it challenging to cohabit. Couples and counselling I have found that recently, more couples have wanted counselling. Many of these couples already had ‘problems’ before lockdown, but the last six months have been a catalyst for the deterioration of their relationship and led to the necessity of receiving counselling. However, it is not just couples who require counselling, but also many more children have required counselling, after struggling to cope at home due to their parents arguing and their feelings of anxiety and hopelessness for the future. How can counselling help? Counselling can help you work on major issues and divisions between you and your partner, by addressing these issues and finding solutions for them. Couples can also reconciliate through recognising what they both want from the relationship, working through their problems and respecting one another. It is important to also have positive mindsets and remember that the pandemic will pass and normality will return, yet this will take the form of a ‘new normal’ which may lead to a balance of working at home and working at the office. My sessions are highly confidential and take place at my home in Harpenden, Hertfordshire. I will provide my expertise and knowledge, to let you know what changes you should make to become a healthier and happier couple. I will consider how changes in your personal and daily life could have led to you and your spouse arguing with one another. I will work with you to make the changes necessary to see positive results. Usually these changes will involve your diet or sleeping patterns and other habits. As a qualified counsellor who has worked with many couples, children and teenagers from Harpenden, Redbourn, Hemel Hempstead, St Albans and Wheathampstead, I am well qualified to help couples overcome their problems. For more information on how I can help you renew positive relations between you and your partner, call me now on 07909 542453 or book an appointment using my website consultation form.
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