Managing romantic and personal relationships during times of stress

 

One of the most difficult aspects of lockdown for many people has been the enforced intimacy with partners and children. This has had a way of exposing the cracks in even the strongest of relationships—and now the easing of restrictions is adding wider family back into the mix. We are tired after a year of anxiety, and none of us is exactly at our best.   Fortunately, we all come equipped with a lifetime’s worth of experience in personal relationships. What’s more, the skills that we may learn at work about managing relationships with others can also be applied to our personal relationships. For example:

When you give feedback, focus on behaviour, and describe the effect on you; When you need to negotiate, look for win–win solutions, not ones that result in one of you losing out; and Remember that you are equals. You can and should be assertive, rather than either aggressive or passive.