When you’re in quarantine and missing your partner – distance makes the heart grow fonder. If only I could be telling you about my lavish holiday to a remote island, sadly though, that isn’t the case. Thanks to the Coronavirus, I’m practicing a new not so social skill – social distancing.
As are many, I’m quarantining myself because it’s not only the right thing to do, I’m simply playing my small part in co-operating with the authorities in helping to slow this dreadful virus! Self-isolating for over a week now, the novelty is wearing off – especially when your partner isn’t with you. A lot or perhaps most of us are probably quarantining with other people. Imagine having a never-ending sleep over where you don’t get to ever leave. Not having the freedom to come and go as I please is making me feel like I’m under house arrest.
I love my girlfriend but living in each-others pocket 24/7 – day in day out! “Sorry babe” I’m a big believer of “let there be space in our togetherness”
At the beginning of the Coronavirus crisis my partner and I had the choice of self-isolating together or apart. For me self-isolating together was out of the question. You might think I’m sounding harsh, but I value our relationship too much to risk it. So, the decision was made to quarantine separately for the sake of our sanities and our futures.
Making this hard choice prevents any strain weighing on our relationship. Take a look at why many couples now face divorce in China as a result of quarantining. It’s already starting to take its toll on some of my friends who made decisions to self-isolate with their partners – they are becoming miserable. Again, I might be sounding harsh and I’m definitely missing my girlfriend, but in the long run we both agree it’s the best thing for us both as a couple and as individuals.
Even though we are apart, my girlfriend and I are finding lots of cool things to do together even at a distance. I miss her so much it makes me appreciate how lucky I am! But we are also using this time to do things on our own, stuff we never had time to do when life was busy and hectic. I’m doing a certificate 4 in fitness online and my girlfriend is learning a nouveau language on the internet- it’s French! I hope she masters the accent too 😊
At this difficult time, it’s about establishing a good balance in our relationship. So, if you miss your partner as much as I do, here’s a few suggestions to manage your time while you’re both self-isolating separately.
Stay Positive
Focusing on the negative aspects of the Coronavirus basically has zero value. Instead, by collectively keeping a positive perspective, we are seeing this as a new way to be creative with spending time together even though we are apart.
What choice do we have! Like you, we too have to simply wait this out and keep our minds pre-occupied like never before.
Video and Online Chat
The variety and availability of the many video and chatting sites out there provide some fantastic options to remain mentally stimulated with your partner. With all the text chat, video chat and screen sharing platforms and of course Facetime, using these technologies is a great substitute for being together physically.
Messaging Each Other With Your Favourite Social Apps
There’s always something amusing or relatable with social media. Funny videos, memes or controversial articles are constantly zipping through our feeds and keeps our relationships with friends and family alive. Quite often, some posts inspire us to initiate or participate in deep conversations. Make sure you and your partner do this as well, the effect will be the same.
Facebook Watch Party or Netflix and (virtual) chill together
Few activities will bring two people closer than binge-watching an addictive Netflix series. This is one of my girlfriend’s favourite ways of spending time together. We always end up having a laugh and it tends to bring us closer together with funny banter and light-hearted play.
Watching the same show together may seem odd while you’re in quarantine. Fire up the Zoom app and screen share together then hit the start button on Netflix at the same time and you’re off and running!
Virtual Date Nights
Now that the cafes and restaurants are off limits, heading out for a bite to eat or to a 5-star hotel seems like a past-life. Now, we need to get (virtually) creative and use technology. Decide what’s for dinner, grab the same ingredients and cook together (separately) via video chat and see who is the best chef 😊. Or order home delivery and sit down together for a meal and a bottle of wine.
Final thoughts
During this period of self-reflection and quarantine you will without a doubt be tempted into sneaking off under the cover of darkness to see each other. But remember by law if you break quarantine and are caught doing so you’ll be quarantined with your partner for fourteen days of unplanned living together and you may not end up having a partner.
Exercise regularly, keep healthy, stay strong!