The 5 Main Relationship Problems After Confinement

Simply moving from a situation in which we do not have many behavioral options to one in which we have more possibilities to choose from does not always lead to greater psychological well-being.

Although it may seem paradoxical, facing greater complexity is a challenge capable of generating problems comparable to the lack of opportunities in which we can make decisions.

Along these lines, leaving the context of confinement due to the coronavirus pandemic is a factor that can facilitate the appearance of problems in people who live together, and more specifically, in couple relationships Let’s see why.

Relationship problems linked to the end of confinement

After the first wave of coronavirus infections, common sense leads us to think that as long as hospitals do not collapse again and it is necessary to confine again, most of the problems linked to the expansion of COVID-19 are already a thing of the past. However, this does not have to be the case in all cases.

The health, economic and social crisis triggered by the coronavirus has meant that many families have been forced to go through a period of relatively sudden change for which it has not always been possible to prepare in the ideal way.

And the truth is that this anomalous situation of changes has not yet stopped, even though we no longer have to spend much time in our homes. There is a reason we call this context “the new normal”: the confinement has already passed, but the current situation is not the same as before the pandemic reached the country.

And being able to go out for a walk, to work or to leisure and hospitality establishments is not the same as doing so after having gone through a phase of quarantine and almost absolute confinement. With the return to the streets many problems have gone away, but also New ones have appeared due to the confinement situation that we went through not so long ago And this is noticeable, for example, in the area of the couple.

These are the main reasons why forms of discomfort associated with lack of confinement can appear in a marriage or dating relationship.

1. Disagreements about the safety of exposing yourself to others

This is one of the main reasons why the end of confinement can fuel couple conflicts: the asymmetries in what is perceived to be safe and what is not.

This is something that especially influences couples who have regular contact with their parents, who are of advanced age.

2. Changes in the distribution of household and parenting tasks

Couples with young children are forced to adapt their routine to a new situation. This brings a chaotic element to the couple’s relationship, whose plans for the immediate future can be greatly affected even by something as simple as not knowing if there will be a normal school year or if everything will be done online

3. Different expectations about the holidays

For many people, especially those who experience increased work stress, It is very frustrating not being able to have the vacation you had planned

In a stage of uncertainty such as the post-lockdown context, this gives rise to discussions, given that the outside world is safe enough to go to many interesting holiday destinations, but the lack of knowledge about what will happen in the coming weeks It can make you afraid of throwing away money, or even of barely being able to get out. And given this, it is very easy for arguments and old hostilities that had been accumulating to flare up.

4. Unequal family needs

Assuming each member of the relationship has other living family members that they care about, It is not unusual for one person to feel the lack of time with their family more than the other either to help them or to make a visit after not having been able to do so for months due to the quarantine phase.

Let’s think, for example, of someone whose family is in another country and whom they have not seen for months. Traveling would mean running the risk of not being able to return normally and spending some time without seeing your partner, either due to the lack of available flights or a forced quarantine imposed on those arriving from other States in a situation of risk.

Let’s also think about someone who wants to visit their family despite living with their partner and their father, a population at risk for COVID-19 due to their age or illness.

5. Mood changes

For many people, anxiety also continues in the phase of the end of confinement. This type of individual psychological alterations can give way to psychological problems of a relational nature, that is, they affect two or more people. Let’s think about the discomfort experienced by someone who sees the person they love suffer, but at the same time does not fully understand them because they do not experience the present in the same way.