Let’s face it, the lockdown due to the coronavirus is driving us all crazy. Not only are we driving ourselves crazy, but we are also making the people we live with climb the walls. How can you go about living your day to day life without causing too much friction between yourself and those you live with? It may sound out of this world, but we can learn a lot from other primates. We can learn from primates such as monkeys or apes that they live in tightly grouped circles and can diffuse situations before they get out of hand.
Learn how to cope with the new world around you
Imagine you are a troop of monkeys who have ventured off and to a new world that is nothing like where you come from. You would have to rely on coping mechanisms to get you through the daily activities without causing a rift between everyone in your pack. The same is true with this new reality of the coronavirus. You are forced to spend more time at home, and that means you are around your family more than you ever have been before. You also are facing new stressful situations that may include the loss of a job, or a significant decline in income in these things can cause an immense amount of stress. It’s okay to throw your arms in the air and become frustrated as long as you promise yourself that you will work through this situation.
Sometimes you’ve got to prepare for conflict before it happens
Even monkeys know that conflict is inevitable. You can be on your best behavior, and that won’t stop someone else from pounding their chest and becoming aggressive. Children have a way of allowing their aggression to get out of hand, and they don’t know how to deal with it. As a parent, you must find ways to help them release the stress without it overwhelming them. That means you must identify conflict before it happens and learn ways to avoid it at all costs. An argument can lead to hurt feelings that last for days, and no one wants to live in a house, or people are arguing for extended periods.
Arguments are unavoidable, but that doesn’t mean you don’t try to avoid them
Arguments and other conflicts are a natural part of life. Conflict is not an isolated human problem; it’s something that all animals have in common. Somehow you have to maintain a flow of understanding in your household. Everyone is on edge; no one wants to stay at home, and also most people are afraid of getting sick. You have the fear added to the natural stresses of staying at home, and it is a cocktail recipe for disaster. Do your best to help others through these stressful times by taking care of their needs and finding ways to relieve stress. If you can identify the triggers for arguments before they happen, you will be able to stop them in their tracks. Accept that arguments are going to happen, but do your best to avoid them at all costs.