There is no doubt about it — COVID-19 has changed the world. Millions of people have lost their jobs, families have lost loved ones, and virtually every person on the planet has been impacted by this virus in some way or another.

Since people have been quarantined and essentially on lockdown for three to four months, relationships have felt the brunt. Certainly, many relationships have grown stronger and even thrived during the pandemic, as they became closer to their partners. But there are plenty of relationships that have fallen apart or are at least in jeopardy of falling apart, because of these pandemic-related issues.

New couples might have been forced to spend the entire quarantine apart from their partners, and older relationships might have been forced to spend 100% of the time together. Whatever the reason, if your relationship is in trouble due to the coronavirus, it’s important to not give up hope.

Here are some helpful tips on how to strengthen your relationship now that the COVID-19 pandemic is lightening up.

Buy and give surprise gifts

It sounds trivial, but a simple gesture like this might be all your relationship needs. Your partner might have been feeling unappreciated, unloved, or just anxious over the last few months. First, it’s important to discuss your feelings with your partner in order for any relationship — at any time — to succeed. But you can spark these conversations with a nice surprise gift.

It doesn’t have to be anything grand or too expensive. Even a card that details exactly how you feel about your partner can be a great gesture.

If you’re trying to think about the perfect gift but you’re stuck, you can never go wrong with some flowers and a piece of jewelry. Silver has been used as a jewelry material for over 6,000 years and is always a good idea!

Take care of your physical and mental health

If you’re not in a good place both physically and mentally, you might not even be ready for a serious, committed relationship. But that doesn’t mean you should just end the relationship right away. Instead, talk with your partner about getting help.

Phyical therapy is a great approach to improving both physical and mental wellbeing. A recent study shows that physical therapy can lower patient treatment costs by 72%. You could also talk to a professional therapist, doctor, or even visit an urgent care clinic to talk about your mental and physical health.

It’s important to note that the average waiting time in an urgent care clinic is about 30 minutes or less for about 90% of the patients.

Put down technology for date days

Once a week, you and your spouse should agree to not touch any kind of technology for an entire day. Instead of just wasting time scrolling on your phones, which leads to both partners neglecting their problems and each other, spend the day actually being present with them.

It might be tough and awkward at first, but it will be well worth it once you start opening up and having fun with your partner again. Hopefully, this will be such a great experiment, you’ll add this to your weekly routine for not just when you’re struggling, but when your relationship is going great! Put down your technology and talk with your partner — it will significantly improve your relationship.

Go on a fun trip with just the two of you

If you’ve been arguing all the time and resenting each other, you might want to wait a little bit before you pack up and go on a trip together. Doing that at the wrong time could actually harm your relationship rather than help it.

If you’re currently struggling significantly, try these other approaches first. Once you start making some progress, going on a trip like this can be a lot of fun and can give your relationship a whole new life!

Don’t let the COVID-19 pandemic ruin your relationship. What we all just went through (and are still going through) is not normal in any way. Instead of just giving up, do everything you can to work on your relationship and have some fun together. You won’t regret it. Good luck!