The emergence of the coronavirus and its rapid spread around the world triggered unprecedented social measures, including long periods of isolation and maintaining physical distance from other people. Since the pandemic continues to rage in many parts of the globe without signs of slowing down, changes in social relationships are becoming all too apparent, with almost all generations and social groups being affected. Some of those changes can be alarming and endanger previously stable families or couples, so it’s worth exploring this topic a little deeper in hopes of finding some practical answers.

To help you know more, dating site onenightfriend.com shared information on how coronavirus has changed human relationships during the pandemic.

Relationships during isolation

The predominant feature of life during the pandemic has been physical isolation, with many countries imposing strict quarantines and virtually preventing people from seeing anyone outside of their households. Such extreme limitations of contact lasted for more than two months in some places, putting tremendous stress on people who were unable to interact with their friends and/or family members. Fortunately, modern technology allows a great deal of communication to occur without physical contact, so a majority of individuals with access to mobile networks or the internet used digital channels to maintain close contact with dear ones. While virtual relationships are not a true replacement for in-person meetings (especially when a sexual component is present), they still helped to reduce the negative impact of isolation to a certain degree.

Growing conflict in the families

Families experienced a different type of challenge during the coronavirus crisis, as they were forced to spend a lot of time locked inside the confined quarters of their home. This naturally leads to the development of the internal conflict, especially in a situation where health concerns and economic uncertainty have everyone on the edge for days. As isolation grows longer, people who share the same living space tend to clash with each other more often and more intensely than they would under normal circumstances. Lack of personal space can make it difficult to preserve a sense of privacy and therefore it also complicates interpersonal relationships. This problem is especially evident in households where two or more generations live together, as people of different ages react to stressful situations in their ways that may be difficult for those of other generations to understand.

More time to talk

On the flip side, staying at home more also creates some unique possibilities for problem-solving. Simply put, people have more time to talk when they don’t have to commute to work every morning, so they could resolve some long-standing issues if they invest the time and energy into it. While the direct conversation isn’t a cure for all ills, it gives participants a chance to air their grievances in a controlled and familiar setting, and perhaps find middle ground after examining each other’s positions. Patience is a virtue, and when people can’t go out anyway their attention to relationship issues will be less divided. As we already mentioned, face to face conversations are the most effective approach, but talking on the phone or through a live streaming app could do the trick as well.

5 quick tips for nurturing healthy relationships

Things sometimes get out of hand in a relationship, especially with the pandemic on everyone’s mind. That’s why it’s useful to remember those five simple tips and lean on them when people around you start getting on your nerves:

Give time – the most difficult relationship challenges can’t be solved overnight, and you need to allow enough time for the process to play out before you can expect positive improvements to become visible

Be present – let past events stay in the past and try to be completely present in the current moment, as this attitude will allow you to see things more clearly and will also be noticed and appreciated by others

Listen – you already know your side of the story, so it pays off to stop talking for a minute and hear out the other version in a fair and unprejudiced way

Let yourself be listened to – if you are reacting to every little detail that annoys you all the time, the people in your surroundings won’t be able to tell which things are truly important to you

Recognize unhealthy relationships – sometimes, a relationship may become toxic and in such a case, it’s best for both sides to separate instead of constantly dragging each other down and needlessly expending a ton of energy