The current global health crisis is causing lots of people to have to self-isolate to contain the virus and stay safe, but what does that mean for your online dating matches? Here’s how to deal.
- It’s time to talk. You might not be able to meet your matches in real life just yet, but that doesn’t mean you need to miss out on dating them. Now’s the perfect time to actually get to know them on a deeper level before you go out. That means chatting online or via text and building a connection.
- Suggest a video date. You’ve been chatting to your match for weeks and you feel like if you don’t meet up soon, you’re going to lose momentum. Ugh, no! While a real-life date might be out of the question, you can have a video date instead. Thank you, technology!
- You can weed out the mismatches. A bonus of having a video date is that you can see the person’s face and their body language as if they were sitting right in front of you, which should help you determined whether or not there’s a connection. This could actually show you that you don’t want a real date after all, which would save you time and reduce your stress because you don’t have to plan a future proper date. Nice one.
- If you must go out, be safe. Depending on the restrictions where you live, you might still be able to meet your match in person. If this is something you want to do, make sure you stay safe. Now’s not the time to put yourself in danger by getting too close to others, your date included, and ending up sick. Maintain a safe distance of about six feet. Yes, that’s a lot for a date with someone you click with, but it’s a must.
- Talk about it with your match. Before you take that date offline, make sure you talk to your match about what their views are. Some people are still claiming that this virus is NBD despite how it’s making so many people critically ill (and killing so many others). It’s crazy. If your date isn’t going to understand that you need to maintain social distance, like by not kissing each other hello, then you need to know that so that you don’t go on the date. Remember, your health comes first.
- No kissing is a good thing. Maybe you’re open to the idea of kissing someone on the first date. Nothing wrong with that, but we’re in the middle of a hectic pandemic here so that’s off the menu for a certain amount of time. However, this can be a good thing. No, really. By delaying the first kiss, you can really get to see what your date’s like and if you connect on a deeper level than the physical one.
- What happens if they go AWOL? If they’re all about fast connections and meeting IRL within a day of speaking on the dating app, chances are they might not want to slow things down. Although that sucks, and you’ll likely feel rejected, just think: the person is that desperate to meet up that they can’t even take the time to get to know you? Forget them!
- You don’t have to rush through the dating milestones. Taking things slowly can be just what you need to build that momentum instead of destroying it. It’s all about the slow burn and it can make things really interesting, so don’t write it off!
- Pay more attention to red flags. When you take the time to connect and communicate before meeting up IRL, you have the perfect opportunity to spot any warning signs that this person actually isn’t right for you, despite how well their online bio matched yours. Notice how they react during texting. Do they disappear halfway into the conversation or take days to reply to your messages? Those are signs you shouldn’t even keep them around.
- Focus on the perks. Yes, it sucks to not be able to get out there and date as much as you used to before this pandemic killed the romance, but there are dating perks to staying in and chatting via text or video chat. For example, you save a lot of money on dinner dates. You also don’t have to worry about getting dressed up or battling traffic to get to the date location. You can stay safe (and virus-free) at home while being on a virtual date. Now, get a glass of wine and try to enjoy yourself.
