At the beginning of Covid earlier this year, I was hearing from my friends that dating understandably took a backseat from just trying to figure out family, grocery shopping, where were we going to get toilet paper and cleaning supplies and wine!
A lot of us got into a great rhythm of having video chat dates with friends and family and even having group book clubs and birthday parties via zoom. But what about meeting someone new and trying to date? What does that look like today and is it even worth it?
Now that it’s been so many months of this “new normal” we’ve started figuring out how to begin dating again and luckily many online dating apps have made this easy by incorporating more enhanced chat features including video right within the app. (We have many tips on creating your online profile and navigating the online dating world.) We are also hearing about women having nice long lengthy conversations and getting to know a potential match slowly and over time without meeting in person yet. That said, we know nothing beats the physical chemical attraction that needs to happen in person.
But how to go about meeting in person during a pandemic, or should you even do that? This all depends on your health situation or those you are cohabitating with. If you or your housemates are immune compromised then letting someone else “in” is probably not wise right now. But if your health is not at risk, we suggest after some video chats (maybe they have a messy house and that annoys you so you can see that easily in video, or maybe their laugh is like nails on a chalkboard . . . ) where you can further determine if they are worth meeting in person. Once you’ve decided that meeting in person is the next step, just have an open conversation about what the Covid ground rules are. We are meeting potential dates outside (cafe, restaurant, park stroll) with a mask on and agreeing that there will be no touching (no hugs, handshakes, etc.). It’s easier to just have those ground rules discussed prior to meeting so there are less awkward moments in person.
Then depending on how that first meeting went, you can choose to continue on this same way of meeting a few more times or however long it takes for you to get comfortable with their approach to Covid.
A lot of things in our life seemed to have slowed down since this pandemic hit and there is something sweet and romantic in taking the time to get to know someone slowly.
Do you have a question as it pertains to dating during or post breakup or divorce? Ask us HERE.