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).

At times this period of being together may feel like it is never-ending. One way of maintaining hope is to allow the future into the present day without letting it dominate the present. It is okay to have ideas of what will come later and even start making some plans for this.

Work with your partner to plan for the future that will come, at least to the degree that you can. Some of this could be looking at what will happen when you no longer have to stay at home. You can think about where you have not been able to go that you would like to go. You can think about what has been put on hold during these times. Similarly, you can use this time to plan for things further in the future, perhaps even things that you don’t usually have time to plan for.

This could be a major vacation you would like to take even if it would take several years to save up for – maybe even a second honeymoon. It could also be planning how you are going to get to a goal that you have, perhaps buying a house or one of you going back to school or saving for retirement. Whatever it is, take this opportunity to plan together for what could come. Here’s the Book.