4 Tips for Dating During Covid-19

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This is a strange time in history to be dating during Covid-19. 

Not only is it nearly impossible to meet other singles because of the “stay home” order, but when you do run into them at the essential places like the grocery store, all you can see are a pretty set of eyes staring back at you thanks to the masks we’re all encouraged to wear. 

Talk about blind dating taken to a whole new level. 

If you’re single and desiring a relationship, I know this can be a discouraging time for you. You feel like time is ticking and every day of quarantine seems like another stolen opportunity for you to meet and interact with someone that could be a potential partner. 

If you’ve followed my relationship advice blog, you know that I am all about taking time to get to know someone during the stage of dating and letting each season of the relationship unfold naturally. But what happens when those seasons sort of blend together, or when you can’t even recognize them at all because your human contact has diminished by 99.999%?

Dating During Covid-19

For those of you in the world of dating right now, I want to offer you a few bits of encouragement for dating during Covid-19: 

Use this time to work on yourself. 

The main message at TrueLoveDates.comis that healthy people make healthy relationships. One of the BEST ways to set yourself up for dating success is by taking inventory of your personal health during this time. Human beings are magnetic, and we tend to attract and be drawn to people who are similar to us emotionally and spiritually. If you want to increase your odds of finding a good match, the best thing you can do for yourself right now is to work on you.There’s no better time to do it. Take inventory of your emotional and spiritual health, and be active in taking steps to get to the next level. 

Another important piece to this puzzle is to really get to know yourself because finding a good match is like putting a puzzle together. You have to know yourself in order to know what kind of person fits – or doesn’t fit – into your life. So use this time to get healthy from the inside out, and then keep your radar on for someone who has done the same. 

Take advantage of online platforms:

In a recent survey I conducted, one of the top 3 ways currently married people found their partner was thanks to the world of online dating websites and apps. All this to say, people are using online platforms more than ever before, and with the stay at home orders, the online dating world has seen an increase in numbers of people. 

If you’ve never considered online dating before, this is a great time to consider it. But before you do, check out this article detailing some of the most popular dating sites for Christian singles, and then listen to this podcast with some important tips to help you up your odds of finding a good match online

Focus on building friendships.

In my latest relationship book, Love In Every Season, I talk about the importance of building a friendship as a foundation for a strong marriage in the early stages of a dating relationship. Too many times, people rush into relationships and skip that important step. This is a great time to take inventory of your circle of friends or acquaintances, and ask yourself if there’s anyone of the opposite sex who might be worth getting to know a little bit better, building a friendship in a deliberate way. 

Thanks to technology, we have the opportunity to continue building friendships, but it takes being intentional and deliberate! Sometimes we miss people who could be a great match because we’ve put them in the “friend” category, when really, friends are the ones who make the absolute best lifelong companions because a strong marriage is always founded in a strong friendship. 

Keep your boundaries intact.

It’s easy to let your boundaries slide when you start to feel desperate; to let people into your life, or engage in conversations you wouldn’t normally if you were feeling like yourself. Add to that technology being the primary mode of interaction right now, and you’ll notice that your guard isn’t as high as it normally is. 

With a lack of face to face interactions, there can also be a lack of emotional boundaries that begins sneaking into your interactions. But this is a crucial time to keep your boundaries intact because boundaries are what keep you healthy and keep your relationships strong. 

Protect your heart emotionally, by being cautious with your interactions with the opposite sex and making sure you’re not letting someone in too deep, too soon.Trust is something that has to be built over time, and as easy as it might be to rush an interaction right now, it’s of utter importance that you take your time. No one ever regretted giving themselves too much time to get to know someone, only the opposite. 

We might be in a unique time in history right now trying to do dating during Covid-19, but friends – it won’t last forever. For now, let’s make the most of this time by seeing it as a chance to get better both personally and in our relationships, rather than simply get by. 

Use this time to come up with a plan and ask the Lord to help you get to the next level emotionally and spiritually. Because the healthier you are, the healthier your relationships will be. Guaranteed.

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