The Naked Truth | How is the coronavirus affecting your relationship? Expert advice on growing stronger together or calling it a day

The coronavirus pandemic is affecting relationships in many different ways, the pressure of enforced lockdown has strained many to breaking point. But, conversely, it has brought many couples closer together.

Not surprisingly, the time together could either make or break a relationship; it really depends on individuals and their approaches. Deciding factors include whether a couple can share new experiences to become closer, such as engaging in a shared project or taking up a new hobby together, like cooking or gardening.

Some couples have found the quarantine experience nourishing and enjoyable to a point that they want to extend it beyond the lockdown; many have made plans to live together or maybe even get married in the near future. For those who want a deeper commitment post-lockdown, there are ways to ascertain whether your feelings about taking your relationship to the next level are genuine or not.

Clinical hypnotherapist, life coach and relationship and wellness coach Sonia Samtani says, “Feeling like you want to make a bigger commitment to someone is natural, yet with the current pandemic, the reasons behind this could be influenced by fear and anxiety, which is not a great foundation for relationships.