Have you just found yourself living with your spouse and it feels like you’re with a stranger? You probably grew apart due to the busyness of life and now you have no choice but to notice each other. Maybe you didn’t grow apart, but you don’t particularly spend much time together, and now you have to! You’re not alone..unfortunately there are many couples and families in this situation, all looking for how to live amicably in the present circumstances. Here’s a guide we use to rekindle our relationship:

Don’t keep to yourself. You may be tempted to keep to yourself but the answer is not to avoid each other, but to look for things you can do together. Take this as an opportunity to patch things up and work things out. Re-learn how to love your spouse by giving the quality time you couldn’t give one another before. What were the qualities that attracted you to one another? How about reliving those memories and starting all over again. It may not be easy but all it takes is willingness from both parties.

Have faith in your love. You need to have faith in your love for one another. Give your love another chance, a booster may be all you need to be back on track. This could be anything from photographs or video memories, to little things such as smiles, hugs, to show you still care. A glimmer of hope or a little spark is good enough to put you back together again.

Give it time. Rome wasn’t built in a day..neither was love. It could take a while for you to reach the peak you were before thing’s plateaued. Keep working at it everyday, and one day you will reach your desired love level. It can only get better, but you have to give it some time and don’t give up easily. By filling one another’s love tank everyday you’re making love deposits that would help rebuild your love.

Speak their love language. What does your spouse like most - touch, words of affirmation, acts of service or gifts? None of these is out of reach despite the lockdown. We make it a point of duty not to walk past each other in the house without a form of touch. Build things up by affirming them for who they are and what they mean to you. If your spouse loves acts of service why not ask them if they need help with anything? And if it’s gifts you could either make one or order online! The price tag doesn’t matter, it’s the thought that counts 🎁

Be consistent. Growing apart is mostly due to lack of consistency. You have to consciously do the things you love doing together. Lockdown would help you achieve this, but you may need to set timers in order to achieve some goals. For example, if I don’t set a reminder to call my mum I may forget. Not because I don’t care but we sometimes become so engrossed with other things and we ignore those close to us. The trick is to set reminders on your phone👏🏽

Finally, start doing things together. You’ve been used to doing things on your own even though you’re married, now is the time to live like a couple in love. Create time in your daily schedules to connect. Have breakfast together, take your lunchtime at the same time. Go out for fresh air and make the most of dinner by cooking and eating together. That’s the beauty of working from home. Let it work for your relationship and don’t see it as a distraction. It’s actually a great blessing🤗