Who else used to moan they never saw enough of their loved ones? LOL. Here to the rescue are Anna Whitehouse and Matt Farquharson
Well, if anything can break a relationship, being cooped up 24/7 is a good place to start. So how are we doing out there?
We’ve been married ten years and our bestselling book Where’s My Happy Ending? definitely made us confront the state of our relationship head on. So here’s how we’re keeping the magic alive (and by magic we mean not throttling each other) during self-isolation. Because this quarantine could run and run…
Anna’s top tips
Tag team
You can’t have everyone trying to do everything at once. Homeschooling while working remotely while making toast into the shape of a carrot and trying to not eat everything in the fridge isn’t a working formula. You need to schedule time off – for us it’s an hour a day – for each person so you don’t go off the walls in your four walls.
Lady of leisurewear
My wardrobe has edged towards unhinged – think thermals with a Totes Toastie sock and polka dot headscarf. Comfort is king and while working in The Outside World made me slightly more presentable, my partner is about to be bombarded by my elasticated best. It goes for him too – he’s currently in a hoodie from the last millennium. We’ve decided to dress like our former selves once a week and have dinner together that evening to save turning into an advert for a retirement home.
Love is all around
The ability to use outside events – other than the relentlessly depressing news – to stimulate conversation has gone. It’s just us, our mild disillusionment with each other and a Groundhog Day existence. Recognise that a cheeky bum squeeze by the recycling bin is the equivalent of date night and things start to look up.
Meet the Pukkas
And over to Matt…
Listen to hippies
During research for our the book, I spent a few days interviewing people in a free-love commune in Portugal. They had some unusual ideas, but one nugget of inspiration struck me. It came from a 54-year-old physicist who said when you’re angry with your partner, don’t ask, ‘What do I need from them?’ but ask instead, ‘What does love need now?’ It sounds camambert cheesy, like a philosophy to stitch on a cushion, but it means stopping to think about what’s best for your relationship. Usually, that just means being a bit less of a dick about who last did the washing up.
Avoid each other
No one is nice enough to spend all day with. Whether you’re a couple on your own, or a family with kids everywhere, chances are your partner will become a bit annoying after a while. Cherish personal time, even if that’s just playing Angry Birds on the loo, and give it to your partner too. Let them read, or watch a film you hate, or hum tunelessly in the bath – whatever they want to do – without any guilt, and ask them to allow you to do the same.
Eat like a don
There’s a scene in Goodfellas where Henry Hill, the lead character, explains that ‘in prison, dinner was always a big thing’. One of his compadres would slice garlic paperthin with a razor, so it would liquify in the pan. Food boosts morale and shows you care, so given that you are effectively in prison (albeit, hopefully, a nice open one), take a don’s approach to dining: whatever stash you’re eking out, take the time to make it as good as it can be.
* Anna and Matt’s Where’s My Happy Ending? Happily ever after and how the heck to get there is out now
The post The Pukka's six golden rules to living happily together in lockdown appeared first on Marie Claire.
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