In some ways the last year has been like being in a Spiritual Retreat in a Monastery or something

It's been like a forced spiritual retreat. The problem with this for most people is it wasn't something that they chose to do but rather something they were forced into. The hardest part of the last year for my wife and I was not visiting our kids and friends more because of Sheltering in place. Financially, we didn't take as big of a hit as most people did for one reason or another. So, the biggest problem for us was mostly having to be just the two of us facing everything.

However, in our relationship we had done a lot of counseling especially after my wife's mother died in 1999. So, we had started out in Grief counseling in 1999 when her mother passed away at 74.  This was very hard on my wife but I was able to be somewhat supportive simply because my father died when I was 37 which messed me up until I was about 50 and almost died then myself. Then we did peer counseling which is available through various organizations locally and these groups meet in rented Churches in the evenings. We did this around 2001 and went through 2 levels each with she doing female peer counseling and me doing male peer counseling. They separate these groups into male and female so there are less sexual issues that come up that way even though gay problems often arise in these kinds of groups sometimes. But, male female problems don't become and issue at least for heterosexuals in peer counseling done this way.

The biggest thing we both learned was not to PROJECT our problems on our spouses. Outside of money this is likely the biggest issue that breaks couples up. So, once we solved the projection of Adapted Child stuff onto our mates we could survive ongoing pretty easily (relatively speaking) as a couple because we both are very practical people and both grownups enough to raise several children together to adulthood. 

It isn't that we never had any problems it's that we found ways to solve most or all of our problems one way or another.

Money is the main thing that breaks all relationships up. In other words who has the money? How is it used? Who gets to Spend it? Who doesn't get to spend it? Who doesn't have any money at all? etc.

People don't usually fall out of love really, they just get angry over how money is used or if there isn't any to live on.

So, if you understand the main thing breaking up people is money you begin to see the real dynamics in long term relationships.

Of course there are mental and physical illnesses that arise along the way in some relationships too which likely happened a lot in a year like 2020 around the world where many relationships died from Covid one way or another too. And then there are the relationships that ended because someone died form Covid in your family too.

But, the monastery thing is a real one we all likely had to face in one way or another too. But, a forced retreat is not the same thing as retreating because you want to or need to.