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There’s little doubt that the recent lockdown and subsequent easing out of it has helped to spare countless lives. Unfortunately, the reverse can be said for the love lives of those staying at home and practising safe social distancing.
All that hiding away has inevitably taken its toll on many singles, unable to get out to meet new people. Just as tough though, has been the impact that living on top of one another has had on couples. Whichever side of the relationship fence you’re on, we’ve compiled several tips to help you navigate lockdown with the least impact on your love life.
Couples – Try to Spend LESS Time Together
That’s right, less.
Sounds too simple, right? Problem is that many people will see the stepping back from one another every now and again as some sort of failing in a relationship.
Let me tell you, there’s no couple on Earth that wouldn’t benefit from some distance if they’ve been cooped up together for months. I’m not talking about month-long solo jaunts to the other side of the country, but just going out on your own for an afternoon can give you both some much-needed breathing space.
It doesn’t have to be anything big at all. My wife and I try to work in separate rooms (mainly because she likes background noise, and I prefer silence), but this allows us a little bit of space each day. Similarly I’ve been playing weekly online poker nights with my friends that takes me out of the way for the whole night.
Absence really does make the heart grow fonder. It allows my wife to forget just how annoying I am to live with for a little while. This means that she’s much more amiable to the sight of me than if she’d been stuck watching me scratching my belly in front of the football.
Singles – Let Nature Give You a Helping Hand
When it comes to single guys getting ready for a date or night out, the temptation is often to douse yourself in expensive cologne and scents. This could actually hinder rather than help your love life in the long run however. Our sense of smell is actually designed to react to certain pheromones. Luckily, as it’s 2020 now, we don’t have to blindly hope that our bodies are giving off the correct pheromones to attract others at any given time. Sprays and patches are now available to ensure that you can control where and when you want to charm a potential partner
Singles – Online Dating
Long gone are the days when online dating held any sort of stigma. That was a hangover from the ‘lonely hearts’ ads that used to show up at the back of newspapers.
Everything’s done online now, and if I were single I’d definitely give it a whirl. During a global pandemic, there’s really no other option anyway! If you’ve never tried online dating before, there’s now several free UK dating sites that allow you to dip your toe in the water to see if it’s for you.
Online dating allows you to see straight away if there’s an attraction, and if your interests align with your prospective beau. Of the current batch of free-to-join dating sites, matchmehappy.co.uk is definitely worth a look, with plenty of genuine singles already registered.
Couples and Singles – Date Nights
If you’re stuck indoors together with the kids, each day can bleed into the next, with little to tell yesterday apart from tomorrow.
That’s where a date night can really come in handy. Get yourselves dressed up, order in your favourite takeaway, pop open a bottle, and settle down in front of a new movie.
My wife and I love a themed date night. We’ve cranked up our thermostat in the winter to have a rum-fuelled beach party date (without the beach), and rustled up some snails and subtitled films on French night.
Even though restaurants and pubs might be shut, you can always use your imagination to go out on a date night. Finding a sitter can be tricky during a pandemic, but not impossible.
The best part is that singles can still do this online during the lockdown.
Once you’ve found someone you’d like to meet on a dating site, why wait until you can both physically meet up to have a date? Right now is really the only time you can get away with an online date before meeting for a real one.
Put on your best shirt, rustle up a meal, and meet up on a Zoom call. This way is a lot cheaper than picking up a big fancy restaurant bill after you’ve already found that you’re not that keen on your date!
Hey, if you’re anything like me, a Zoom call is also handy for concealing your dad bod until you’ve had chance to trim down during lockdown. In which case, you’d be better off eating something that’s not too naughty! If your family also need to get back to pre-pandemic shape, you can all try to make a healthy change together. By the time you can meet with any potential matches, you’ll have the body of a Hollywood star!
Check out how dating during the pandemic has changed too.