Kristen Bell and husband Dax Shepard ‘needed a little therapy brush-up’ during COVID-19 quarantine

Kristen Bell and husband Dax Shepard have been outspoken advocates for couples therapy in helping them navigate their marriage, en route towards a happy and healthy relationship.

But with the added strains of the still raging COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent 11 months of quarantine with their two young children, life has taken some dark and difficult turns, like most couples and families around the world can attest.

‘We’ve learned everything about each other because we haven’t been able to leave,’ the Frozen star, 40, confessed during and interview with People magazine.

‘The main thing I’ve learned is something I learned from [Love Warrior author] Glennon Doyle, which is that we just need to give each other grace under circumstances.’ 

Opening up: Kristen Bell shared about the benefits of going to couples therapy, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic months in quarantine

One of the silver linings for some people during these turbulent times, which includes social and political unrest and division, has been the extra time they’ve been able to spend with close family and loved ones.

But like so many others, Bell revealed she and her husband were feeling the effects of being so close to each other since the coronavirus was deemed a pandemic in mid-March 2020

‘Everyone’s proclivities are kind of bubbling over because we’re all caged in with each other,’ the Michigan native surmised from her own experiences.

‘Dax and I, when we started this pandemic, were at a point in our marriage where we definitely needed a little therapy brush-up.’  

Honest: 'Dax and I, when we started this pandemic, were at a point in our marriage where we definitely needed a little therapy brush-up,' the actress revealed in an interview with People

Honest: ‘Dax and I, when we started this pandemic, were at a point in our marriage where we definitely needed a little therapy brush-up,’ the actress revealed in an interview with People

Having learned from previous relationships, Bell and Shepard thought they would be better served by seeing a therapist before certain issues, or the marriage, spiraled too far on the downward path.

‘Every couple of years, we’re like, “We’re being very antagonistic towards each other,” and we don’t want that,’ Bell explained of their journey together since they first starting dating in late 2007 and eventual marriage in 2013.

‘We go back to therapy and figure out what I’m not doing that’s best for you and what you’re not doing that’s best for me, and how we can serve this team goal better. It’s been incredibly helpful.’  

Montal health amid COVID-19: Confessing to feeling restless during lockdown, the Bad Moms star took to Instagram on Wednesday and admitted that she's been struggling with her mental health the last couple of weeks

Montal health amid COVID-19: Confessing to feeling restless during lockdown, the Bad Moms star took to Instagram on Wednesday and admitted that she’s been struggling with her mental health the last couple of weeks

While stuck in lockdown and without her normal routine, the Bad Moms star says she’s felt restless at times. In fact, earlier on Wednesday, she admitted she’s been ‘struggling the last 2 weeks, for who-knows-why-slash-ALL-the-reasons.’

‘In this pandemic, I have wide eyes and I like to start a lot of projects. My knitting’s on the table all the time, and I’m switching purses even though I’m not going anywhere, or I’m deciding that I need to refold my jeans and they’re on the floor,’ Bell explained.

‘He’s [Shepard] been very gracious in the fluttering around the house in order to console myself. Most of the graciousness has been coming from him!”  

The couple, who started dating in 2007, have been married since 2013 and share two children together: son Lincoln, seven, and daughter Delta, six

The couple, who started dating in 2007, have been married since 2013 and share two children together: son Lincoln, seven, and daughter Delta, six

It’s around this time that they realized it was time to sit down with a therapist before things festered.

‘There’s such a negative connotation,’ Shepard said about therapy during a sit-down with Good Housekeeping in 2015.

‘In my previous relationship, we went to couples’ therapy at the end, and that’s often too late. You can’t go after nine years and start figuring out what patterns you’re in.’

The Good Place actress agreed with her husband’s assertion and went on to explain that by talking with a trained professional it became easier to communicate.  

‘You do better in the gym with a trainer; you don’t figure out how to cook without reading a recipe. Therapy is not something to be embarrassed about.’

Bell and Shepard have been outspoken advocates for couples therapy in helping them navigate their marriage

Bell and Shepard have been outspoken advocates for couples therapy in helping them navigate their marriage

Despite being separated from other family and friends, among other hardships, the couple acknowledged that they are ‘lucky’ compared to many others who are struggling economically or have had a loved one pass away due to complications for COVID-19. 

Bell and Shepard are the proud parent two young children: son Lincoln, seven, and daughter Delta, six.    

The couple are the co-founders of Hello Bello, a plant-based baby care product line that focuses on creating environmentally friendly and affordable products.