Could quarantine increase divorce rates?
(KUTV) — Research says that the Covid-19 quarantine is actually causing more divorces. The Coronavirus is deadly in many ways, and not in ways you might expect. Not only is the Coronavirus impacting physical health, and the economy, according to the Marriage Registry in China, divorce rates spiked at an unprecedented rate last month. And all fingers point to the Coronavirus as the culprit. Experts suggest that the same thing will happen right here in Utah.
Why is that? Because couples are spending too much time together. You might wonder why that should have such a negative impact on a marriage. Most people would think that spending time together is something that is supposed to strengthen marriages. The problem is that time together actually acts as an X-factor to the quality of the marriage. If the marriage is strong- time together can bring the couple closer together. IF the marriage isn’t strong - it can drive the couple apart. We see the same type of spike in divorce when couples go into retirement. The kids are gone, and now the two of them are spending a lot of time together. Time away from each other acted like a buffer that made it so they didn’t have to really talk and get to know each other. They could keep topics rather superficial. “How’s your day?” “What’s for dinner?” “What should we do this weekend?” But when you spend time together, little things start to be noticed. “Why did you dot that?” “Why did you get so offended?” Little preferences and opinions start leaking out in ways that come across judgmental, patronizing, or critical. Time together is like a miserable marriage microwave set to overcook the marriage.
So, what can couples do? Here are three things you can do: Now that you have the time, take the time to really dial into ways to make your marriage better. Emil is offering a free trial period for couples to try out his custom marriage program, He calls it Emils Marriage Club. Take some time to talk about what you want to do during this time together. Brainstorm different ideas, and personal projects you would like to do. Take time to plan out or map out your day together, so you can manage what you can expect from each other. This will minimize frustrations and disappointments that can leak out in little jabs and criticisms that hurt.
To check out the free trial of Emils Marriage Club and see what building a custom marriage is all about, go to https://club.conflicttocloseness.com/marriage-club. You will also get his audiobook “You Can Turn Conflict Into Closeness” totally free just for trying it out.
