Meghan Markle’s Marriage Trick Is Genius—and One My Therapist Would Love

Way back at the start of the pandemic, time with my spouse was limited to say the least. We were both working full-time while watching our then two-year-old sans childcare (there was a lockdown after all) and the stress and overwhelm made us both feel like ships that pass in the night. That’s when my therapist proposed a solution: The half-glass of wine marriage trick.

The idea is this—instead of using the post-bedtime downtime to immediately recalibrate on the backlog of tasks (work, texts, general life organization) that piled up throughout the day, his suggestion was to pour a half glass of wine and come together to catch up and decompress—no logistical conversations allowed.

The reason for the half glass? It takes 10 to 15 minutes to sip it, tops. In other words, it’s not going to derail your evening list of to-dos, but it does guarantee a moment to connect and prioritize your relationship. Always a win.

Cut to the launch of Meghan Markle’s brand-new Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, which just earned a season two pickup (brava). As part of the early press ahead of the launch, Meghan shared in an interview with People how she and Prince Harry make it work with their own busy (and often opposing) schedules, plus their young kids Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The solution? Something she calls, “nightcap recaps.”

She described it to People as a nighttime ritual where the pair unwind with a drink and debrief about their day while prepping lunch boxes for the kids. “I think all parents in this phase with kids the same age know it’s rinse and repeat,” the Duchess of Sussex shared. Amen.