With the anniversary of COVID-19 coming around the corner, the first Valentine’s Day of the pandemic hits people at their most vulnerable. With the popular holiday just days away, many are reflecting on whether love and friendship can really survive COVID-19.
Romantic and platonic relationships alike have been put to the test in a time where social distancing has taken over society.
After interviewing people with different relationship statuses and opinions on love and friendship, one thing was common — it is all about effort, understanding and patience.
For Melissa Colon, a 28-year-old law student at University of California, Irvine, COVID-19 actually helped her long distance relationship become an in-person relationship, as she moved states to live with her significant other.
With learning becoming completely remote, it gave her the flexibility to study from home and move in with her boyfriend.
Colon says she has been able to learn more about her significant other every day and get closer mentally as well as emotionally. She feels that COVID-19 did affect her relationship but only for the better.
With many being stuck at home without the the ability for spontaneous dates due to business closures, people have found new ways to keep their relationships fun.
People have gotten creative with their efforts to show they care. This can look like someone surprising their best friend with a social distance picnic with all their favorite goodies or someone surprising their significant other with a romantic movie night and take-out dinner.
These are just some of the many ways people have been able to keep the “spark” in their relationships. Taking the time to do show gestures of kindness to show each other how much one person still means is more important than ever.
Abhram Martinez, a 31-year-old supervisor at a medical insurance company, advised that for him COVID-19 only slightly affected his dating life because he wasn’t really dating before.
He was starting to use dating apps to find a date. However, once the pandemic came to be, and not wanting to risk exposing his family to the virus, he stopped dating completely.
COVID-19 has definitely tested many relationships but as with any other bad situation also comes the good. While not being able to visit your siblings, family members or just friends it has also created new ways to keep in touch and and build a different but strong bond.
Many people have been using FaceTime, Zoom and other video conferencing software to organize parties and calls with their loved ones. Some call on a daily basis while others gather virtually on special occasions to have a closer interaction with them, something more than just a text message or a phone call.
People have gotten very creative in finding new ways to keep in contact with their loved ones and have stated that, if anything, it has brought their relationships closer.
Colon noted a day where she saw her boyfriend was feeling down and created a miniature golf maze around her house to surprise him with a random fun date night.
If we want to make our relationships work during the pandemic, all it takes is some creativity, patience and understanding.
