Have you entered into a “serious” relationship during lockdown, Zoom dates and cooking for yourself together? Now Lockdown has ended, it’s time to take it face to face, not facetime to facetime. It can feel a bit daunting having to date in the real world again but don’t worry – the team at DateComparison have come up with some handy hints and tips for you to make the whole experience that little bit easier.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
When dating online it can be easy to get carried away with one person you feel a “virtual” connection to, however, assuming you are looking for a real world relationship, you also need to be able to engage with them face to face in the real world. If you focus all your time and attention on just one person you may find they don’t live up to their own hype in reality. There is no shame in chatting to lots of different people and even using different platforms.
Offer an alternative
You’ve probably been in contact through the dating site, when you feel ready reach out and offer alternative contact details. Now might be the time to talk on the phone (before a face to face), or text message/whatsapp to feel a bit more personal, a bit more intimate than the dating site. The offer of a date may come more naturally.
Don’t wait forever
It may feel that there is no right time – we all feel like that from time to time. During lockdown we have all become far too comfortable being at home on our own, however, the longer you just exchange messages the harder it will be for you to make the move and meet up on a date. Afterall you probably joined a dating site because you were looking for a physical relationship of some sort – not just a virtual one.
Don’t spoil the main event
What do we mean by this? Don’t forget that when you meet up for the first time both of you may suffer from nerves, make sure you haven’t shared all your interesting stories before the main event. Your messages are a bit like advertising, tell enough for them to know you’re an interesting person, but not too much that you will then struggle to talk about anything on the first date.
Be prepared for the highs and the lows
When you meet for the first time you have to be prepared that your date may not live upto the image you’ve built up of them in your head. We all do this, idolise the dream, then be disappointed with the reality. However, don’t let this put you off, you may find its the other way round. You’re expecting something mediocre and what you get is amazing.
Overall the best piece of advice is go for it and don’t be scared.