When much of normal life was stripped away because of lockdown, and normal busyness came to an abrupt end, what was it like to have life taken back to the bare bones of just you and those in your household?
What needs did that expose?
Perhaps if you live alone, it highlighted the relationships you have that are most precious to you and that are worth investing more in, including your relationship with yourself.
Perhaps if you live with a partner, it identified all that is really good about your relationship as well as all that has the potential to be really bad.
There are awful statistics and stories of the rise of domestic violence during lockdown.
It is easy to see why. Lockdown created a living environment that was intense, potentially claustrophobic, and with few outlets, external stimulus, support or variety.
What did it expose in your relationship?
I was musing last week on unspoken expectations and assumptions, and how they can prompt us to keep score within a relationship, fueling frustration and resentment.
But there is a huge plus here too. What have you enjoyed about this time with your partner?
To what extent has this enforced time together reminded you of how much you value the relationship and how much you need your partner?
We need people other than and in addition to our partners.
It is neither right nor realistic to expect them to meet all of our needs.
More on this here. But this intense time together perhaps has been an opportunity to realise that we do need them, that we do enjoy their company and to build on that for the future
How have you seen your partner thrive during these past months?
What did they most need when things were tough?
What do they most need now?
And how are you communicating what you need to them?
These are questions to ponder this week.
Perhaps if you are unfamiliar with the Love Languages, this might be a good opportunity to discover your partner’s and to choose to speak it. If this is known territory, how can you express love to your partner in their love language this week?
And how can you express to them this week what it is that you appreciate about them and that you need them?