Luisa Tam

The Naked Truth | Anger management for couples – how to defuse the inevitable conflicts that coronavirus lockdowns are spurring on

Couples are bound to fall out now and then. Covid-19 lockdowns have made it more likely. Work out what’s making you angry, and use it to grow closer together

Couples who avoid conflict may not have healthy relationships and could grow emotionally distant. That, more than any amount of anger, could drive them apart

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Conflict and anger are natural in any relationship, but there are ways to avoid these feelings negatively affecting your relationship. Photo: Shutterstock

Luisa Tam

Published: 2:30am, 13 Sep 2020Updated: 3:58am, 13 Sep 2020

Conflict and anger are natural in any relationship – especially now, when feelings of frustration might intensify because of the impact of Covid-19 on our lives.

Covid-19 related restrictions such as stay-at-home measures are triggering conflict between couples. Many family and relationship counsellors have reported an increase in couples’ conflicts and anger issues at home.

Bottled-up feelings more often than not lead to anger when the parties involved don’t know how to manage, contain or neutralise these suppressed emotions.

Keeping your cool and being reasonable is an effective way to defuse a tense situation, of course; but it’s often easier said than done.

Covid-19 restrictions are proving a breeding ground for conflict between couples. Photo: Shutterstock

Sometimes, keeping calm is hard when you don’t even know how to manage your own anger. There is the additional challenge of making yourself vulnerable by reaching out to your partner to get to the core of what is making you angry. Before you know it, all hell breaks loose – and in some extreme cases, couples might resort to separation or divorce.

Thankfully, many anger issues are manageable – so long as we are not talking about violent or abusive relationships. There are many effective ways to avoid conflict and one cardinal rule of doing this is not to take things personally.