Many Mid-Pacific students have had their lives disrupted due to the pandemic, and dating life is no different. Several students say that it has been more difficult to maintain relationships during these times.

With new rules and regulations coming out every day about who we can see and how many we can see at once, it is getting harder and harder to see the people we want while staying safe.

Some people who have been in relationships during this quarantine can say they have found their bond with their significant other stronger than ever, while some can say it’s been a bumpy road.

Being in a relationship in high school can be hard. Having to juggle school, sports, family, friends and outside activities, and then deciding to add a relationship can be a lot to handle.

“Well not everyone is ready to date in high school; a lot of people are but not everybody. So for kids who can and are ready to start dating, it’s a nice step towards learning how to trust somebody other than your family and have that social connection with other people,” said Jessie Mitchell, MA, LMHC, LBA, school counselor.

It can be difficult to find time to see your significant other, especially if you don’t go to the same school. Even if you do go to the same school, it’s not guaranteed that you’ll see each other. Even if you do, then you still have to keep your masks on and stay six feet apart, which isn’t the most romantic.

“At school it’s pretty hard because during the week we don’t see each other that much because we have practice and school. So I feel like seeing each other in school is our prime time but we can’t even touch each other and barely even be with them or be six feet apart, ” said sophomore Vanessa Vincent, who has been in a relationship during the pandemic.

Vincent’s boyfriend Alika Onaga also spoke on the topic.

“The hardest thing is not being able to spend time as much time together, even though we are together every weekend and we hang out sometimes after school, it sucks,” said Onaga, who is a freshman.

After spending so much time apart from your significant other, it can be easier to lose interest or feelings. Some people who have been in a relationship during this pandemic can even say that at some point it was just like a long distance relationship.

“It’s like if you wouldn’t be able to see each other you’re literally just facetime and calling and texting all the time and I don’t think it’s the best way to have a relationship, but I mean if that’s what you got to do that’s what you got to do, ” said Vincent.

“The fact that we love each other so much to where we’re not going to give up. If something happens we can take a breather and some time to think and come back to it to talk it out,” said Oneaga.

While some relationships have had some struggles during this pandemic, there are some relationships that have strengthened and learned more about each other during this time.

“Learning how to have a healthy relationship with somebody else is really hard, even as an adult it’s really hard. We learn how to set boundaries with other people so it is a really important growth step, some people just think that dating is fun but when we start dating we learn a lot, we also learn how to respect other people’s beliefs,” said Ms. Jessie .

“I learned to trust more and not worry too much. It made me worry a lot but you have to trust the process and your significant other that everything will be okay, ” said junior Maiah Suan who has also been in a relationship during the pandemic.

“Dating through the pandemic has made us stronger. It allowed us to grow closer and stronger because of all the hardships and obstacles that we were able to overcome together, working as a team,” said Suan’s boyfriend Noah Akiona.

Since the pandemic has affected people’s relationships both good and bad, they have learned some really valuable lessons from their experiences.

“Definitely be open to talking about how you’re feeling or whatnot, I know not everyone is comfortable with that but even though it sounds so cliche, communication definitely helps a lot. You guys have to be honest with each other and really make the effort to want to work things out, ” said Vincent.

In any relationship it can be easy to lose yourself or forget who you are especially if you’re putting so much effort and time into your significant other. Which is why it’s so important to make sure that you’re confident in yourself before being in a relationship.
“Trust yourself and always make sure to put yourself first no matter what. Make sure you are serious about this relationship and you want to be with this specific person during this time right now since we’re literally in a pandemic,” said Suan.

After talking to many people the biggest thing that seems to keep a relationship healthy is communication and trust.

“The biggest thing that keeps a relationship healthy is trust. Everything is built off of trust, communication helps build trust, loyalty helps build trust, trusting that the person is down for you and you only and that put in any situation they will always pick you over anybody,” said Akiona.

Before the pandemic, parents weren’t too worried about how many people you got together with, or where you were going to hang out at, but now it’s a big concern to many parents. Some parents have added more rules as to who we can hang out with in order to keep us safe, but these rules can really be a bigger restraint on our relationships.

Even if your parents or guardians don’t have that many restrictions and rules on you seeing your significant other, it’s still important to find that balance.

“We live five minutes away from each other, so we can just bike to each other’s houses. But we have to sometimes distance ourselves from each other or we drive each other crazy because we’re together too often,” said Sophomore Kapuaanhuea Robinson who has been in a relationship during the pandemic.