Living and Working with Your Partner

During this unprecedented time, our lives and routines have been turned upside down. We find ourselves limiting our time outside of the home and spending 24 hours a day, seven days a week at home with our families. Our homes have been transformed into offices and schools, which can be overwhelming at times. Heather Arduini, director, Adult Services, a wife, mother of a two-year-old and pregnant with twins, shares five tips to help navigate living and working with your partner.

Communication: The key to any successful relationship is open and frequent communication. Especially during this difficult time, it is important to be open with your feelings and not to suppress them. Some things to discuss are work schedules, chores, and entertaining the children. It is important to discuss these topics on a weekly basis and be flexible as circumstances continue to evolve.

Self-Care: This goes hand in hand with communication. As we are all in our homes more often, there is little space to breathe and “get away from it all”, so it is very important to know when to take time for yourself even for a few minutes. A few examples of self-care are:

• Moving your body: Find a home workout routine on YouTube, do yoga, or go for a walk
• Take a bubble bath
• Meditate: Visit Wheeler’s Facebook page on Mondays at 10 a.m. for mindfulness sessions with Chuck Schad, mindfulness facilitator.

Space: Give your partner grace and space. Support them when they need to take a break.

Change Mentality: It is very important to create a routine and structure around your workday. Treat your workday as you are at work and not at home. Create office hours and set boundaries. For example, if you have 15 minutes between meetings, complete a work-related task instead of playing with your children. This can cause confusion and unnecessary stress when your children want to keep playing. By shifting your mindset, everyone in the house will know what to expect which can lower anxiety.

Have Fun: Lastly, have something fun to look forward to. Each night play a different board game with your family or your partner after the kids go to sleep. Or order takeout every Friday to break up the week. Having something to look forward to can prevent you from being stuck in the moment.

To schedule an appointment, call Wheeler’s Navigation Center today at 888.793.3500.