My top 4 favourite COVID-19 Dating Tips
If there is one thing COVID-19 has really put a damper on, it’s dating. Lots of things can easily go virtual. Our kids can attend classes, our jobs can host meetings and even large events over Zoom… but how do you go about getting to know someone when you’re locked indoors? How can you form a meaningful connection with someone through Zoom?
Of course, we always recommend meeting people through our match-making service… this is a surefire way to skip the horrors of dating apps and incompatible matches. But what next? Read on to learn more about mature dating in the age of COVID.
Meet remote-first
Meeting virtually can feel pointless or perhaps lacks the deep connection you are looking to discover. But hear me out… you can make virtual dates work for you. Imagine a virtual date to be like a pre-screening before the interview. This first step takes all the pressure away from the original first-date dinner scenario. If you can’t connect over a 30-minute phone call, there is no way you’ll be interested in a full dinner out. It helps break dating down to its bare bones – do you and this person have things in common? Meeting remote-first helps break the ice, but also prevents unnecessary meetups that may otherwise put you at higher risk.
Struggling to think of some easy icebreakers for Zoom? Check out this article with some easy to start with questions: https://www.elitedaily.com/p/24-ice-breakers-for-a-zoom-first-date-that-will-get-the-convo-flowing-22768714
If you meet in person, set some ground rules
COVID has actually opened up a really great way to test the waters with your potential date: do you two agree on important issues? Beforehand, it might take multiple dates to learn whether your date is agreeable. Now, before even meeting, you have a totally reasonable chance to talk about things that matter right away. Is this person regularly getting COVID tests? Are they meeting up with other people? Do you two intend to meet while social distancing, for example taking a masked walk outdoors? When running through these questions, you have a unique chance to see how this person reacts to these questions, how they think through current issues, and you will be able to gauge how much you two will get along. If these questions are too tough for you both to work through – you already have your answer.
If you’re struggling to find a way to ask these questions without feeling like you’re coming on too strong, check out this article with some easy, casual ways to gauge your date’s level of cautiousness: https://www.inquirer.com/philly-tips/dating-covid-19-coronavirus-questions-to-ask-20201111.html
When you do go on a date, get outdoors!
The best and safest way to date right now is to do a socially-distanced outdoor date. Now, before you write this off as just getting coffee in the park, consider all the amazing options there are for fun dates that may have been too taboo or a strange request just last year! Instead of the typical dinner date, COVID has given us the opportunity to get adventurous. How many of you have tried something new this year, outdoors, to replace our old indoor activities? Depending on the weather, you could rent electric scooters, go paddle boating, try a cool rooftop experience, go for an exciting hike, try cross country skiing or snowshoeing, watch the sunset on a nearby hill, go apple or strawberry picking, or even have a picnic and go stargazing! All of these options are a fun way to experience something new, with someone new! And all can be done masked and distanced. Pre-covid, these dates would have been very “out there,” but now, people are looking more and more for new ways to get out while indoors is off-limits. Use it to your advantage and have some fun!
This amazing blog has 55 ideas that are socially distanced. For some, you can distance from eachother. Others are just distant from others. Depending on your comfort level, choose what works for you and your date! https://indywithkids.com/social-distance-date-ideas/
Allow yourself to get deep!
Another wonderful part of pandemic life is the breaking down of previously solid walls. Before COVID, our mental and emotional states were quite private. But through this “collective trauma,” it has become the norm to open up about how we are feeling – and what a wonderful thing that is! Further, COVID is an excellent example of a shared experience. If you haven’t found a common interest to discuss, COVID can be the perfect conversation topic. It is mutually understood, and has so many nuances that can keep a conversation going! Use this to your advantage, and don’t hold back on your dates. If you are an emotional person, you will be best suited with someone else who is too. Find someone who can listen to you and relate to you, and share openly about how the pandemic may have affected you and your loved ones. Then, listen well to your partner’s hopes, fears, and dreams as well. COVID-19 is an easy thing to talk about and is the perfect bridge experience between you and someone who may otherwise be a total stranger. Use this event as a way to connect and understand each other better, and then allow the conversation to naturally bridge into other hopes, dreams, and concerns.
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2020/08/25/dating-during-covid/?arc404=tru