Our tendency during difficult times is to try and get through it as quickly as possible. But I want to encourage couples to not just get through this hard season, but to grow through it. We are all facing something unprecedented in our history. It will test us, but it will also teach us who we really are: resilient, strong, courageous. This applies to our relationships too. By implementing a few simple principles and practices, couples can grow through this time together, rather than grit their way through.  

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Don’t blame.

It isn’t your spouse’s fault that a stay-at-home order has been placed in your city. It’s not his or her fault that you have to work from home now, or that you lost your job. When stress is high and things are uncertain, it is human to look for someone to blame and right now, the most convenient person to blame is the one in your household. Deep down you know this isn’t your partner’s fault or your kids’ fault or your fault. Everything feels out of our control right now because, in a way, it is. What you can control is how you treat the loved ones in your…