Immunizing marriage against coronavirus

ISTANBUL

Married couples should enjoy activities together and increase their quality time to help immunize their relationship against the novel coronavirus which has forced many into self-quarantine.

According to Kubra Bozkurt, the chief clinical psychologist at an Istanbul hospital, along with the disease, conflict has been spreading among married couples like an epidemic because of the difficulties of living under the same roof.

"The novel coronavirus continues to drastically affect our lives and psychological issues are quite likely to appear in addition to physiological problems. Married couples are among those most shaken," said Bozkurt.

She argued that many people now see the world through the lens of "survival" after the coronavirus spread across the globe. This approach inflicted a heavy blow on relationships as many people did not want to interact with other humans, whether it be friends or partners, she said.

Bozkurt went on to say that the desire to stay away from others could lessen communication and interaction, instead encouraging a tendency to blame others, adding to the many other problems associated with spending hours in closed spaces.

Such problems could lead to divorce when couples have difficulty tolerating one another, said Bozkurt, who noted that the pandemic itself was a major stress trigger.

"While striving to survive and live under stress, people become more inclined to make regrettable decisions and act in ways they normally would not," she said. "It is best to keep everything under control from the start to prevent such wrong decisions."

Bozkurt underlined that couples should find activities to increase quality time with their partners, urging them to distance themselves from stressful news by watching more TV series and movies together and enjoying other activities such as cooking and playing games.

"Me-time" is also important, said Bozkurt, and people should allocate separate times for themselves in addition to activities with each other, saying this would help their relationship.

"Communication is the most important factor in relationships and marriage," she said. "This [coronavirus] period can be left behind much more easily if we don't forget the importance of communication."

She further added that a constructive approach to problems, instead of an aggressive attitude, would help couples.

Planning your life after the coronavirus pandemic and sparing time for hobbies are good ways to relieve your mind from stress, she said, adding that people should avoid making hasty decisions, especially when they are in the middle of an argument with their partners.

"It's not healthy to make important decisions such as divorce or separation at moments when stress levels are high," she said. "Couples going through difficult times should receive psychological support amid the pandemic."