Worry, COVID-19, and Your Relationship

Worry is exhausting and stressful. So many of us are experiencing worry right now. It can overwhelm your mind, your body, and your relationship.

We’ve all been battling COVID-19, and there’s a lot to be worried about.

I’ll be transparent with you: I’m not an expert on global pandemics and I don’t have the medical knowledge to share facts about this virus. But I do know about connection. I know that we all need connection and support. Friendship is important. Your larger support system is important. And your marriage, your significant relationship, can be one of the most encouraging, relieving, and peaceful supports for you right now.

So, if you’re feeling worried, I encourage you to think about how this is affecting your relationship.

• Are you more irritable or frustrated? Are you venting but having a hard time listening to your spouse? Are you thinking of the worst-case scenario for every single issue that comes up?
• Sometimes worry can also make it difficult for us to trust our partner, knowing they may not be able to fix the problem or protect us.
• Worry isn’t all bad. It can serve as protection. But when it gets too strong or overwhelming, it can leave us feeling alone, scared, even angry.

So, take some time to reflect on your worry. Explore how it’s affecting you and your relationship.

• Are you projecting onto your partner? Seeking more control as you feel out of control?
• Are you shutting down, feeling overwhelmed and unable to have any comforting conversations with your partner?
• Are you getting frustrated or angry at small things, after being stuck inside with your partner for so long and stuck with your stress and worry for so long?

This is an incredibly stressful season, and people are hurting and afraid in different ways. Whether you’re dealing with worry of job loss, sickness and death, or any other effects of this virus, you may feel very afraid or hopeless.

I just want to help bring you peace.

Know that you aren’t alone. We’re all in this. Our worries may be different, but at the end of the day, we all need the same things. Connection. Love. Security. Hope.

As you reflect on how your worry is impacting your relationship, I encourage you to explore what you each need, how you can be there for each other.

• Spend quality time with your partner. Talk to them and give them the space to share their worries with you, too.
• Remember, you can’t fix everything and neither can they.
• If you’ve been holding all the worry in, ask for the space to share it and process it. Ask for support.
• If you’ve been letting the worries out, or if your stress is coming out more as frustration, ask for understanding and patience.

None of us really know how to deal with what the world is facing right now. And when we’re filled with worry, we tend to lose sight of ourselves and those we love. Our vision and our thought processing becomes clouded by all of the what-ifs.

So today, I hope you find peace.

As you feel the worry building within you, I encourage you to take deep, full breaths.

Fill your body with calm energy.

Let peace flow into all of your inner places that hold worry.

Sit and allow yourself to feel nurtured in this space.

Allow yourself to provide that same feeling of peace and nurturing to your partner.

Simply recognize the worry and invite peace.

In your relationship with your partner, invite patience.

As uncertainty fills the air, let the connection and love you share keep you both grounded and secure.

Let your relationship nurture you.

I hope and pray that you can find some bit of peace and comfort in this anxious world.

Sending love your way.  

Special thanks to:

Will Gladden of LEVEL Digital Music Entertainment for making the music for th