Paul: Our country and our world has been turned upside down
these past few weeks with worry, fear, and anxiety over the Covid-19 pandemic.
How does all of this affect the average married couple? How can we thrive instead of merely survive this
crisis?
Stephanie and I have each been reacting somewhat differently
to the situation. She desires more news and information while I tend to desire
little to none. She also wants to talk about it more than I do. I’m just
compartmentalizing. Hearing and talking about it just reinforces my
powerlessness to do anything about it, so I’d rather focus on other things.
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Photo by Jeff Huang, Getty Images |
Steph: I was caught off guard by people at Costco hovering
around empty toilet paper and hand sanitizer pallets. I found myself searching
for any and all information I could find on what was happening. I wanted to be
better informed . I’ve also noticed that my outlook has become more negative
given all the disruption in our life and in the world. Talking about it keeps
me engaged, but it really doesn’t solve anything.
I have learned that even I have a maximum
capacity for information on a particular topic especially one where I have
little control over the outcome. So, now that I have saturated myself with as
much information as I can handle, I am following Paul’s lead and accepting how
things are for the time being and doing my part to be a responsible person. In
order to stay positive, I choose to trust this too shall pass.
Paul: Like so many things we’ve discovered over the course
of our marriage, our differences really are our strength. Stephanie’s desire to be
informed has proven helpful more than once like when we were able to obtain
some much needed medicine and food before resources had been depleted. And my
inclination against too much information keeps us grounded in the
present and in things
that we can actually influence, like our
attitude and behaviors.
For us, finding
security in the chaos has come through appreciating our differences and how our
individuality complements
and enriches us.
Adapted from the article: Welcome to Marriage During the Coronavirus
By Jennifer Senior https://nyti.ms/3aZkMZy
By Jennifer Senior https://nyti.ms/3aZkMZy
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