IT HAS been nearly a year since Mzansi recorded its first case of Covid-19.
Since then, people have lost their jobs, the economy has taken a beating, lockdown regulations have left many lonely, and the families of those who’ve died have been mourning.
Speaking to Daily Sun, relationship coach Sonja Broschk said it had been a very stressful year for South Africans.
“People were not ready and didn’t know how to deal with lockdown, but not everything was bad.
Since people were unable to rush to work, some couples were left with no choice but to take a closer look at their marriages and work on them,” she said.
“They realised the importance of family. However, others didn’t make it and these were mostly relationships without a strong foundation. Families were also faced with financial conflicts, due to salary cuts and retrenchments.”
Sonja said lockdown also had an impact on people’s sex lives.
“Some people started keeping their distance from others, resulting in less sex. Some couples had sex due to boredom or fear of dying as sex made them feel alive,” she said.
“However, others were less intimate because their kids were always around and they were under severe stress.”
She said the ban on alcohol sales and casinos also put a strain on people.
“As we know some people deal with stress by consuming alcohol while others gamble, and it was extremely difficult for them to cope. They resorted to physically abusing the person next to them.”
Sonja said children and young people also dealt with the pandemic in different ways.
“Children are constantly worried about losing their parents as they often see them wearing masks.
“Young people think they will die later, hence we see them in crowded places and going to clubs without wearing masks.”
She said with many people experiencing anxiety, there might be more cases of depression in the future.
