Here are two things we know for sure: Marriage is hard, and kids make it harder. So what happens when you throw a global pandemic into the mix"
With all the extra stress in parents? lives, it?s no surprise that marriage therapists report seeing an uptick in couples looking for help. Multiple surveys suggest that many couples started arguing more with their partner when the COVID-19 pandemic began. The fights can be about anything?childrearing and domestic duties, intimacy, money?because, really, any number of topics can serve as a proxy for worries about an uncertain future, precarious employment and social isolation. ?Couples are in close quarters, working from home, parenting from home?and without the same outlets like work, friends and hobbies,? says Elana Sures, a psychotherapist in Vancouver. ?There are pent-up emotions that don?t get processed, whether that?s anger or anxiety.? The threat of a breakup is extra stressful when you have kids because you?re so keenly aware of how deeply affected they?ll be. This often becomes the motivation for troubled parents to seek outside help.
?Therapy" No way?
The stigma associated with therapy has long been a deterrent for getting help, but thankfully it?s fading as society?s compassion around mental health issues has grown. But even if you?ve done individual therapy and think therapy?s no big deal, you or your partner may still feel reluctant to seek out a stranger and spill your relationship dirt?the things you?re perh...