STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. — As in the wake of any major life event, explained Steamboat Springs couples counselor Colleen Clark Lay, relationships under COVID-19 are likely to either improve or really suffer.
> VIDEO above: Relationship advice for couples cooped up during COVID-19.
“Whatever was underlying comes to the surface,” she said.
Clark Lay gives the example of planning a wedding — a process that can either result in the eruption of underlying tension or bring about a stronger-than-ever partnership.
But Clark Lay also emphasizes what we are all going through related to the COVID-19 pandemic is totally unprecedented. There are countless studies underway measuring the impacts of COVID-19 on marriage, divorce and birth rates, as well as dating habits and people’s sex lives.
Most couples are not used to being around each other 24/7, and most are not accustomed to sudden and dramatic changes in roles — as breadwinners, as parents, as teachers.
Lives have been upturned, and routines obliterated.
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