Go Easy On Each Other!
Many of us are spending more time with our families than we usually do. Many of us also are seeing co-workers under very different circumstances. And everyone is under tremendous stress and dealing with considerable loss and upheaval. Right now, then, it may be especially important for us to give each other the benefit of the doubt. We all react to stress differently and have varying levels of coping skills. When you’re in close quarters, some days it can be hard to manage your feelings with grace.
I’ve set as a goal to “keep it together,” especially on days when someone else in the house or at work is really struggling. I’ve done reasonably well with this goal, although my husband could surely attest that I’ve not met it 100%. The point is to at least aspire to be caring and understanding of each other as these weeks wear on. Watch out for those days when you and your partner are both having a hard time. Somebody may need to step up and be the strength that day. When we finally get to the other side of this pandemic, we will look back on how we managed and hopefully see that we acted with grace, and hopefully gave ourselves the benefit of the doubt.
