No one expected how personal and uncomfortable the fallout of the pandemic would become in every aspect of our lives.
Perhaps today, going to a restaurant with your best friend makes you feel unsafe.
Perhaps your parents would prefer to connect on video chat rather than have you come over.
Or perhaps you and your roommates now need to agree on house rules about grocery shopping and mask wearing.
Many social norms from our pre-pandemic life are out and continually morphing as COVID-19 levels oscillate. While everything is seemingly up for debate, one thing we can agree on is that navigating these changes and constantly assessing personal boundaries in your friendships and relationships can be taxing.
We asked Marci Gleason, a UT Austin professor and relationship expert, to offer some advice on how to work through challenges like these.
Gleason’s research looks at how close relationships influence individuals’ ability to cope with stress and major life transitions. Although she is not an expert on COVID-19, she is an expert on balancing our relationships and mental health – something we all need right now.
“This pandemic is a very new situation. It is affecting everyone and all at the same time. That is one of the reasons these types of conversations are really exhausting,” says Gleason.
Gleason notes that most of us have dealt with communicating boundaries and value judgments in our relationships before, but usually within the natural course of our close relationships. During the pandemic, navigating our comfort levels is an issue in every relationship right now. We are being overwhelmed by common problems during an uncommon time.
“That is a lot of sensitive conversations to have at one time,” she says. “It is really hard.”
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October 07, 2020 at 01:16AM
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