As the coronavirus pandemic winds on and families hunker down at home, many will experience strain on their relationship.
Spending time with friends and family is normally a way for couples to deflect that stress, but many couples are losing that outlet, explained Niro Feliciano, a cognitive psychotherapist based in Wilton, Connecticut, whose upcoming podcast, Coping With The New Normal of COVID-19, advises families on how to deal with stress during the pandemic.
“I think people are going to have to reinvent — or at least get creative about — how they connect and spend time together,” Feliciano told NBC News, “because a lot of couples like to go out or meet up with other friends and other couples, and now it’s going to be a lot of time together.”
There are a number of ways experts said couples can prevent stress from taking over their relationship — and interfering with their family life. They include: limiting conversations around COVID-19, not invalidating your partner's concerns, communicating your needs regularly, establishing expectations and boundaries, building a routine, making time for each other and your kids and checking on your partner's mental health.
For more details on the tips, read the full story on NBCNews.com.