Social Aspects in which the Pandemic has Affected Relationships
Perspectives
“I don’t understand what’s wrong with you, what’s this?”
James, a 9 year old boy is watching from the half open door of the kitchen as his Dad bellows at his mother. He’s never seen or heard Dad act like that. It’s not making sense why he is so angry at the plate of food on the table before him. A few hours earlier, he and mom had gone to the store to get groceries. He did everything mom said they should as they had to be extra careful.
There was a bad flu that was making everyone wear masks covering their nose and mouth. The flu was so bad that he no longer went to school or to his weekly playdates. He was so excited when mom asked him to help make a home cooked meal! James was so proud of their work as he helped mom peel the onions and crush the garlic! He’d never done that before and was looking forward to the next time until he realised something was wrong with the food, Dad was not proud of them at all.
COVID-19 HAS undoubtedly affected the daily lives of people all around the world. Now this is an understatement when you take a closer look at how loved once are relating during this pandemic. Inherently we are social beings and when circumstances dictate to dive into this part of ourselves with the people closest to us, it might be challenging.
Current times have become less social faulting social media, video games and the likes. Face to face relations aren’t as important as before, i mean you can always facetime! so some of us have had to learn this all over again during this pandemic. I mean it’s easier to apologise through a text message than in person! So what happens when you always apologise to your spouse when at work through text and you happen to be stuck at home?
Patience
Nine year old James might not understand that his dad’s patience is thin,he doesn’t find anything enjoyable, with all the financial strain he is facing. He just found out that he lost his job and cannot afford the mortgage the next month. He sees the food on the plate as too expensive for them to spend on…what with all the bills they have to catch up on.
Most NGO for women rights have reported an increase in cases of domestic violence since lockdown. When spouses are working from home, tensions rise dramatically. Arguments spark from basic things such as how the food is being cooked or served or when to go outside. Families are coping with newfound problems like decisions about going out to dinner as a matter of life and death. Never knowing if you’ll catch the pandemic and not recover is making people dramatically change their lifestyle.
Motivation and Different work ethics
Different personalities thrive in different environments. Working from home is not for everyone and this has had effects on families as well. One might see their spouse as lazy and unmotivated as they work from home not grasping that the office is where they thrive.
No doubt that a significant number of people have lost their jobs.”In most families I know, financial burdens end up falling more on men, whereas domestic pressures end up falling on women,” says susan Gao a researcher. This being the reality, the pandemic is giving people an opportunity to support each other more than the usual roles in their family.
Coping
Researchers all over the world are recording the effects of the pandemic and how different societies are coping with it. Richard Slatcher, a professor of psychology, is tackling questions like are people feeling more or less connected to others? How are couples feeling about working from home together? What are the effects of people working full time from home while also caring full time for their children? What are the effects of living alone right now?”
“Many people will feel very isolated, both physically and psychologically, but others may actually feel more connected to their households, neighbors and/or social networks. In fact, since launching our study, we have already heard from some people reporting that they feel more connected to others than they typically do.”Slatcher said.
cool game to play during this trying times; Pandemic!
References
Uga.edu.research-covid19-effect-on-relationships
Gordon, Justin. Coping with Anxiety During Covid-19: Principles and Techniques for Managing Anxiety During the Coronavirus. , 2020. Internet resource.
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