Relationships can be tough throughout the global pandemic, but what you have to remember is that, yes, you will see each other soon; yes, you can text your partner a thousand times a day and who cares if you bother them, that just expresses how much they are missed. You can Facetime them as much as you want, as you don’t even need to speak, you can just do your own thing and pretend you are together again. I have done that one, and it honestly does work to an extent.
Sometimes it feels like you and your partner are drifting apart, and that’s only because you don’t get to see each other and hold each other like you could before. Make sure you express your feelings when you feel them, as your partner may not know when you are feeling different since they aren’t able to read your expressions in person.
Remember the most important thing is to express the fact that you love them still, and if you want to, even try and plan little trips for when you are able to go out again! Go to your favourite restaurant together, plan a day trip somewhere and check out restaurants that are around. I have been brainstorming ideas of what to do! India Village in Ancaster is fantastic if you love Indian food and have a vehicle to get there. You could also plan a day trip to Toronto and find some different cultural foods that are around. A classic is a movie night with tons of snacks that you both love, movies that won’t bore you to death and also are the type that you would both watch.
It is important to keep your distance, yes, as the virus is spreading and you would rather be safe than sorry. Do what you can to keep the relationship alive as you wait out the storm that we call reality. Sometimes not seeing each other at any given moment is important, especially when one of you is still working in the public sphere, just like me.
Everyone is different, which means expressing how much you miss them would be a different way then how you would. Saying “I miss you” might not be the way for them; trying to Facetime you six times a day may be annoying but it is the way that they express that they need to see you again. Be aware of how someone expresses how they are now that your relationship is more digital than it used to be. Things will get better in time.
When the pandemic is over, do everything together, make every moment more special then it was before, because before that, you were dating through a screen for a bit, and though it is still nice, it is better to be with the one you love in person.