Dating Rules In The New Normal
If 2020 was the year you decided to start dating again, or when you made a decision that the time was right to find love, then you couldn’t have chosen a worse time. All the usual places to enjoy first dates were suddenly closed, exercise was limited to once a day so even getting outside was a struggle, and we all found ourselves trying to adapt to a new normal, one which made our usual, social selves become far more withdrawn and isolated figures, as we tried valiantly to stem the tide of a global pandemic that threatened everyone.
And yet dating and finding love always finds a way, and that has been the case during the Corona crisis. Online dating has thrived, with more people joining dating sites as a way to talk to people during lonely times. Dating sites like Aberdeen dating site www.dateaberdeensingles.co.uk have found that innovative ways of dating like zoom chats and enjoying a meal over Skype have led more people who have been living on their own to try out online dating, possibly for the first time. In addition, old fashioned ways of dating (well, 20th Century at least) like letter writing and chatting on the telephone have all rose in terms of popularity, with stationery one of the big winners of the Covid 19 outbreak.
But now we are coming out of lockdown, albeit fairly slowly. This means that face to face meetings can now take place as long as social distancing is still observed. Pubs and bars are still not open, but parks and public places outdoors are now available if you want to meet someone outside your own household. This means that you can now meet your date face to face, brilliant if this is someone you have been chatting to and have built up a rapour with over this challenging period.
Scottish dating site www.dateaberdeensingles.co.uk  have asked me for some thoughts on good places and ways to enjoy a post lockdown date whilst restaurants and bars are still no go areas. The obvious answer is to meet outdoors in a public space like a park or area of natural beauty. You can enjoy a picnic whilst still being able to social distance, and can then enjoy a chat and a walk to see if the spark is there. Some National trust gardens are now starting to open, and these can provide a romantic backdrop to your date, making it feel special and perhaps establishing it as a special place for you both in years to come.
Next month, we may see restrictions start to relax even more and you may be able to enjoy a cinema date, although not in the traditional sense. Warwick Castle has announced a series of outdoor, drive in cinema dates showing classic films from the last three decades including Dirty Dancing, Moulin Rouge and Jurassic Park. You can order drinks and snacks through an app and enjoy your movie with the backdrop of the glorious castle, a really old fashioned (think Grease – stranded at the drive in!) first date idea.
If you are still feeling worried, or self isolating, then you can carry on chatting online, through zoom, on your telephone, or through email, don’t feel pressured to change this if it is working for you.