30 Women Who Married A Person That Wasn't "The One" Share How Their Life Turned Out

Everyone wants a perfect partner, there’s no doubt about it. But when it comes to finding one, our society puts quite the pressure on having that picture-perfect love story where everything just sticks and flows like a movie.

But in reality, fostering a healthy and mutually beneficial relationship takes as much magic as hard work, if not more of the latter. Whether it’s “the one” or not, the couples are destined to face similar if not the same challenges that, in the end, test their love and really see if they are meant for each other.

In the times of worldwide pandemic, couples have faced unprecedented challenges. We were all thrown into extremely stressful situations, trying to make remote jobs, quarantine, home school, and limited leisure time work from home. No wonder the pandemic caused a never-before-seen spike in breakups and divorces.

So to find out how to keep that love flame burning even in the most hostile conditions that put our relationships under never-before-seen strain, Bored Panda reached out to Jane Parker, a Strategic Intervention Advanced Relationship Coach who coaches clients to have successful, fulfilling, and healthy relationships.

“It is important that we have our own space, mentally and physically, and so the restrictions of the pandemic have taken much of that away from us,” Jane explained and added: “We are all dealing with our own feelings and responsibilities and that can affect what we are capable of giving to our partner and children. So it has a knock-on effect.”

But it’s not only the restrictions that have taken their toll on so many otherwise happy relationships. Jane explained that inequality within relationships has also been highlighted by women who feel like they’re having the best romantic time of their life.

“Many women feel that the sacrifices and responsibilities that have come about because of lockdown have fallen at their feet whilst their partners have been able to focus on their work as usual,” the relationship coach said.

Moreover, “It has been assumed that the woman will be the one who will home school, care for the children or elderly relatives, run their businesses/work from home and look after the house.” This especially can “cause resentment if not addressed,” Jane concluded.