James Gill has over 15 years of experience handling criminal matters and is an expert in family violence cases and their defense.
In our day-to-day lives, most of us aren’t used to being at home for long periods of time, or life simply dictates that we spend a majority of our time away from our family. Being asked to stay home as much as possible for the foreseeable future, no matter how much you love your spouse and your children, being mandated to spend nearly all of your time with them will bring with it some unexpected challenges…
Not sure how to deal with stress and anger in confinement? These are the top three things you should keep in mind to avoid outbursts of anger and reduce your chances of being involved in a domestic violence situation.
- Alcohol. Alcohol is the number one contributor to domestic violence cases in the United States of America. In stressful times such as these, many people turn to alcohol and/or drugs to help them cope. In moderation, of course, this doesn’t usually cause a problem. If you find yourself asking someone to hold your beer, however, it’s probably time to sleep it off before a problem starts.
Please be mindful of your intake if you do choose to use alcohol and/or drugs, especially around family members. Everyone (including your partner) is very stressed at this time. Being considerate of others’ positions—being intentionally sensitive or at least not escalating altercations—while intoxicated is advised. - Financial stress. With many people newly out of a job (or worried that they soon will be), the financial impact is still not quite known and hard to even fathom. Save your money by cutting down on extra expenses, particularly in the area of luxury purchases. Buy only what you need in all areas of your budget and put away all you can.
This isn’t just the time to save for a rainy day, this very well may be the rainy day. - Spatial awareness. Yes, our government advises a 6-foot social distancing rule, but what I’m referring to is giving your partner some space to decompress.
Almost no one has ever been in this situation before with respect to being practically locked-in to their homes with their family right there. Right… there… This is so different than our “normal” life and everything we’ve done for who knows how long.
We’ve gone from being the parents who wake up, take their kids to school/childcare, head to work, maybe wait for their partner to come home from work and see our kids briefly before tending to family matters and going to bed, to the new reality of being surrounded by each other 24/7. This understandably and dramatically increases the likelihood of annoyance, irritability, and aggression.
Be mindful of how stressful this is on your partner and anyone else in your household, including the kids, and give them adequate time to cool off if either of you seems to be irritated. Try exercising, taking a walk or a shower, meditating, or doing anything apart for at least 15 minutes just to separate yourselves.
If you do find yourself in a situation that escalates into domestic violence and you’re facing criminal charges, please call the Law Office of James Gill, PLLC immediately, as we are here to help. We understand your situation.