How is social distancing affecting your relationships?
Have you guys seen the meme where the guy is asked who he’d rather be quarantined with… and before they even finish saying “your wife and kids”, he chooses the second option that he hasn’t even heard yet?
Look, being stuck in your home with the same people for weeks on end can drive people crazy! That’s why most couples still have their own sets of friends and plan girl nights and guy weekends.
I welcome the idea of being stuck at home with my honey, but don’t think for two seconds that we don’t have struggles too. It’s business as usual for us in terms of work, only now the fun outings we used to plan are no longer there. So because we’re in the trenches, our patience definitely runs thin with each other.
Chris and I try our best to be intentional about the time we spend together. That means doing things that take our mind off of ANYTHING that could be putting stress on our relationship.
Try these tips with your quarantine partner
- Take turns picking a Netflix show. So far we have really enjoyed (for different reasons) Tiger King, The Stranger, and Ozark!
- If you’re on your devices together, include each other. Share articles, memes, text messages, etc. Maybe even start a text chain with your favorite group of friends together.
- Break out the board games. We tackled Scrabble last weekend and I found out that I’m definitely a better speller. He did win, however. But it’s because I helped him. The laughs were flowing!
- Wine (or your favorite beverage) tasting. We just did a virtual wine tasting with Justin wines a couple weeks back and are planning another one this Friday! The wines shipped directly to our home, they were a great price, and the session was on IG Live so it was seamless to set up and fun to chat with others.
- Talk about your feelings! But don’t take them out on your partner. Being snappy and allowing small things to annoy you will make this harder. Take a deep breath and when you feel annoyed ask yourself, “What am I feeling? What am I wanting?”.
- Don’t be afraid to take time apart (in another room). Many of us like our space. Go watch TV in another room, take a bubble bath or long shower, chat with your girlfriends for an hour or two, then you can get back to your quarantine partner feeling refreshed!
Do you have a quarantine partner? What has been your experience?
Love these ideas! My husband and i are so used to working Opposite schedules that spending all this time together can get a little interestinG. Im definitely going to look into the virtual wine tastings!
my husband now wants me to watch ozark with him after reading this post!
I recently got engaged to my fiance during quarantine. We grew so much closer together, which was really unexpected. but we like to keep things exciting at home; lots of video games, puzzles, sharing hilarious memes, or just cooking together. So many things for us to do to grow and cope with the anxiety that the pandemic has brought on to so many. Thank you so much for this post!!!
Love the idea of text group with all your friends! We started some zoom happy hours with our friends too, especially other couples… helps keep us all sane. I’ve found the hardest part being when we both work from home. i am an IM resident and we have been doing clinic video visits from home and discovered my WFH is much different than my S.O.’s… i have to social distance to not hate him being able to wear sweats and not shower haha
Love this! Needed to read.
My fiance is working from home and the last 4 weeks wE’ve been getting on each others nerves! After my hospital shift we try to sIt and drink wine together and go on a socially walk to “get oUt of His office”
My boyfriend, along with my cat and dog are my quarantine partners! They bring so much light into these uncertain times for me. We have been able to keep working hard through online med school (for me) and working remote(for him). WE take a *ton* of walks and have been cooking so many delicious meals together. Loving all of your posts lately, they are always either fun, informative, or insightful. the new website is beautiful! –BR
thank you for all the tips!
Great ideas! My fiancÉ & i have been ‘partners’ during this whole thing, which i love. We both continue to work – im a registered dietitian at a hospital and hes a director of Food and nutrition at a large medical center so i think having some “normal” to our daily routine has helped.
Love these, deFinitely trying The Wine tasting too, tHanks!
Great advice! Love spending time together but keeping a few separate activities/hobbies is key!
So true about talking out littlE things And not getting snappy! Not many of us are use to be around our SIgnificant others so much so it definitely takes adjustment!
Needed this.. my patients are driving me crazy when i can tell by their hpi that they’re not Distancing. Any tips on how to bring it up to them without being like, bro your decisiOns are putting me at risk!
Enjoyed reading all of these ideas. We love ozark!!
SO me and my husband are long distanT while im in residency at osu (almost over, yay!) I work in the ER and he’s home in TN not working since he is in the army. It’s tough being away since he isn’t working, but it’s also for the best since i’m exposed to so many patients. So what have we been doing? Lots of facetime dates. LOts of baby yoga memes. Encouraging EACH OTHER to workouts and even having apple watch move competItions. Mostly, we Are praying for this to be over very soon!
Love this! So good
All of thEse tips are amazing! Ive started doing #’s 1-3 with my partner and we already feel so much closer. We both plan on going to grad school next year so every night we each pick a study from ncbi or ouR favorite scientific journal and have a little “Paper reading club” where we discuss the proCedures and findings of the study.
Congratulations on the revAmped website its beautiful!
-AC
Thanks for all the tips! LoVe these ideas!
i love how numbers 1-5 pretty much work for ldr relationships too! being stuck in tx during this pandemic, while my bf’s in massachusettes stinks. we even started playing “words with friends 2” (similar scrabble app) nowadays – who knew spelling could be so much fun)! lol
GREAT TIPS! MY BOYFRIEND AND I JUST STARTED SEASON 3 OF OZARK!
Love all of these recomMendations! Its business as usual for me as im an er pa. Ive adopted doing some things my fiancee loves too, such as playing the ps4 and nintendo switch. If anyone has these, try the game oveRcooked, Great couples game on the switch!
I absolutely love the wine tasting idea! Right Before the pandemic my boyfriend and i decided We were going to go to our new favorite sushi place once a week (which is In a wine town) and afterwards go to a new tasting room each week. We obv never got to Atart that tradition yet so i’m excited to look up some virtual wine tastings in the mean time!
Virtual wine tasting is such a good idea! Must try. I also like the idea of trying to “be together” when On your devices, thats something that we have been noticing is that we are just both on our phones doIng ouR own things and iTS so isolating!
These are greaT ideas- eSpecially including each other in UtIlizing your tech together. Love the new look btw!!!
I have been Home with my husband of 10 years and 2 Children (7&3). I work as nurse PRACTITIONER in a plastic surgeRy officE (clOsed) But I am still working In ER JuSt NOt fuLl time hours. My husBand is a deputY sheriff, so thaNkfully we both still have our shifts To work. but— peace bE with me as he is officially on a QUARANTINE schedule and now off for almost 3 weeks.
I Love the vIrtual wine Tasting date niGht. ThAt was my favorite. It looked like You guys had a great Time! We Are both wine lOvers anD have been Drinking quite a bit more Than Normal…oOps!
We definitely have days Off where we Stay in DifferEnt rooms aNd watch different shows. We have Been cooking a lOt and when the weather is nice sitting outside for Dinner.
It Has aCtually been wonderful to have tHis downtime after Living SO busy for So long.
Love this! Im currently in residency and on vacation for a week (aka sitting on my coucH) and this is probably the most amount of time my fiance and i have spent together. We were supposed to be in california doing stuff for our wedding But instead were stuck at home (were actually using your photographer after i saw Your wedding video and absolutely lived it).
Thank God my spOuce and I of 34 are doing well quarantined. Look forward to my zoom happy hours with my FRIENDS though .
I love these ideas! my fiance is considered essential, so he is gone all day while i am tackling PA school from home! We have been doing zoom happy hours, taking the dog on many runs, and finding new netflix shows to watch – Ozark and The Stranger are our favs. We’re also planning a wedding and doing home renovations, so def keeping busy!
needed this!!!!! number 4…. very important. 😉 thanks!
Started stranger after you suggested it and we are almost done with it! Next up is Ozark for sure. My husband is having a harder time because I’m still remote learning so he’s more “free” with the kids than I am.
Thanks for all the tips!
So many great ideas! I especially love game night and wine tasting! My partner and I both work in healthcare but our hours have been cut so we are definitely spending a lot more time at home together than usual.
My boyfriend and I can barely see each other because of COVID. His grandma is 91 and immunocompromised and his mom is on a mab 🙁 I work at a hospital so I didn’t wanna put his family at risk but it’s super hard being on the opposite side of the spectrum where you can’t see the person. Hoping this all ends soon. Thanks for being real and sharing your struggles and insight with us. Makes it feel like my struggles are validated.
Such a good post!!! Love the tips
These are all great things that my boyfriend and I are doing. I’m a nurse and he is a rad tech, so it’s business as usual for us as well. I went on amazon and ordered some activity kits. Some are silly and childish, but oh what fun! We’ve painted Christmas ornaments, sculpted in clay, made rock crystals! Quarantine date nights!
Great minds think alike! My fiancé have been practicing these tips! We’ve tried new wine, played MANY board games and have included each other on our devices by sending memes and funny videos. In the process, we’ve learned more about each other! However, that doesn’t mean we have our petty arguments from time to time lol!
Umm Justin wines virtual wine tasting?! Sign me UP! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Wine tasting!!!!! i’m in
My boyfriend is working from home and I have some days off as the residents have been split into teams so we have an agreement that during the day he can work down stairs in the dining room while I work upstairs in the office. That way when we come together to make dinner or walk the dog we can catch up on our day just like we used to do when we’d both be at work all day
Thank you for all the suggestions! Love your new website! Congrats! 💕
I haven’t gotten to see my man at all. I can’t wait for this all to be over with 😂😰 We definitely have been keeping our social distance. Honestly, I am loving this time of not being able to go anywhere. I feel like I’m always on the move with school and work, that this whole quarantine thing has bought a little slow pace in my life. Ozark is so good!
Great ideas !! I love it, I’ve been stuck working from home but my fiancé has to go in and ask normal because of his type of work but on the weekends we try to make sure we spend time together doing fun things like puzzles and hiking and during the week we work out together after we work every day.💕😁
Thank you for the tips! I like the idea of including each other while on the phone… i feel like that’s applicable any time! We spend so much time on the phones these days.
xx
No quarantine partner for me. I’m allllll by myselfffffff just like I’ve always been. It’s disappointing but it also doesn’t seem like it’s going to change in the next year minimum with everything going on. 🙁
These are great tips! And love the new site!!!
These are great tips! My husband and I have also been doing a lot more reading, which is something we don’t usually make a lot of extra time for!
This has been so hard! Cramped in an apartment in NYC — space is so important. Also the asking yourself what it is you’re wanting before being snappy.
My boyfriend is installing ventilators in hospitals and I am finishing Ultrasound school online. In the high stress situation of quarantine I love these tips to getting through it together!
Great read! I’m a college student living with my parents at the moment and unfortunately unable to be with my boyfriend in these times. It’s very sad, but social distancing is a must! We have many many facetime dates and I’d recommend that to anyone.
I have been debating buying a board game and this has me saying YES!
And the tv monster (me) is taking turns having nights in charge of the tv choice… even if it means I am sneaking in my trash tv here and there and not on the night it airs.
Thanks Cassie!! I needed this and can’t wait to share with others.
Love love love this! Super important to be intentional with your time together! 💛
I love how you and Chris always seem to be having fun – loved the Easter egg hunt you shared on IG, so cute! I’m home quarantining with family which has been overall good – getting to eat lots of good food and spend quality time together! Taking my alone time or video chatting friends has also been super helpful.
Love these ideas. Love how u continue to inspire us.
My man and I are in the same boat! I’m still working in a primary care clinic and he has mostly been working from home. He is still able to go walk a few holes at the golf course, so we are both getting out of the house!
These are all great ideas. Wish my boyfriend and I weren’t long distance but we’ve at least had zoom dates with a glass of wine to get in some face time!
I love these ideas, fun ways to make the best of being stuck at home while enjoying quality time together. Definitely agree with trying to stay off the phone unless including one another, it’s easy to get wrapped up in social media/ texting during these times but important to make time spent together quality time
Love those ideas! My hubby is working on our basement ( making a play room) so we have our space lol
We are loving wits & wagers (it works for two people, regardless what the instructions say!) and amazon prime movies. They have recent releases for around $7. Worth it! Less scrolling on Netflix and more movie.