5 ways couples can survive stressful times

Plan ahead to handle stressful times and get through them with the relationship intact.

External stress can easily sip through even the happiest of relationships and create struggles. During back-to-school times, work stress, career hurdles and physical problems, partners can experience tension in the relationship.

Fortunately, understanding this can help couples be strategic about how to face conflict and get through overwhelming situations.

They can also talk about how each person responds to stress, how to get outside help and how to reconnect in the aftermath.

With these tips, you can plan ahead and cope with any stress together as a team.

1. Learn each other’s coping mechanisms

Each person experiences stress differently and deals with it differently from another. Though a couple may be stressed out, individual responses may make the situation worse. If one person deals with stress by seeking more connection and the other by retreating, the former will feel dejected and the latter will feel pressured.

Discuss each other’s tendencies and understand each other’s behaviour at the moment, so it doesn’t feel like a personal attack or reaction.

2. Know what kind of support each person needs

Understand what kind of support your partner needs. There are two kinds: emotional and tangible. Emotional support includes empathy, and encouragement, through loving gestures.

Tangible support includes: helping with chores, and doing an activity, among other practical gestures.

Each person should be clear about what kind of support they want to receive and should give.

3. Reconnect afterwards

Conflicts and stressful times will happen, what you need to work on is rebuilding the connection and intimacy after the fact.

Choose time to be with each other and listen, talk, and show each other love and support.

4. Get outside support

Your partner can be your best friend, fitness buddy, confidant, economic partner, or financial partner, in theory. But these are huge expectations to put on a relationship.

It can create a volatile environment when stress hits and we have very limited resources (both inner and physical) to use.

5. Note and enjoy positive moments

Don’t let a good moment slip away because the atmosphere is filled with stress. Each opportunity to express love, appreciation, gratitude and admiration should be taken.

Reward yourselves for coping well together. It builds relationship capital to be able to say or hear a significant other say they are happy for you or feel relief.

Takeaway
Some situations can be too chaotic to practice relationship skills. Simply do the best you can, and sometimes it only takes seconds to talk about managing a situation or life to show each other that you care.