Michael and Eileen talked with each other in couples counseling about how to reconnect. They acknowledged that they weren’t eating meals with each other, despite both working from home, and were watching their shows at night from different rooms. 

There wasn’t any talk time or fun activities together. Michael was reading a relationship book he found helpful and suggested they do the exercises together. They also considered board games with the kids as another activity.

Eileen said she didn’t like the idea of scheduling Michael into her calendar. I told them that successful couples typically ritualize time with each other; that is, they create ways to share their days or experiences with each other regularly, e.g., a weekend walk or dessert after dinner. In addition to activities, they became determined to build in talk time as well.