This article is extracted from “This is NOT a Second Honeymoon: Helping Couples Survive Spending A Lot of Time Together”, a book that was written by Christopher L. Smith to help couples during the COVID-19 pandemic. In his clinical work, he realized that couples being quarantined together have particular challenges. The book goes into a lot of these challenges along with strategies to survive these types of times and even to have their relationship thrive. We will be sharing a series of these extracts over several weeks to help you. If you would like to look at all of them together and get the book right away, it can be found on Amazon (Book).

One of the challenges about this type of being together that is different from a honeymoon is that you know each other (or think you know each other) so well, and that aspect of newness and exploring the newness is lost between you. During a honeymoon, there are so many things that you might still be discovering about each other and about you together.

Even aside from the situation, making you spend this time without being apart, many couples would be advised to find ways to keep things fresh between them. However, being confined together, this is especially important for you now. If you are able to find the newness again about each other and in your relationship, you will find getting through these times may in fact be more like a second honeymoon. If you do find ways to recapture your fresh newness, then this time may be like a second honeymoon and add new vitality back into your relationship that can turn out to be even stronger afterward. Here’s the Book.