Online Dating During a Pandemic

I've spoken a lot about being in a relationship during a pandemic, but what about those still looking for love or those who can't meet with their partner due to current lockdown restrictions? Like my previous post last week, I also asked some other bloggers for their tips on the topic too. 

Trust me, I've been there. In the first lockdown, my boyfriend and I didn't see each other for almost 5 months. I moved to Wakefield for 2 weeks, before then going to Wales to live with my dad and his girlfriend, whilst he remained in Leicester living with his mum and step dad. 

Whilst my boyfriend and I were separated during the first lockdown, we were lucky enough to have already found each other, therefore for me, my experience of online dating during a pandemic was about keeping connected. We spoke throughout the day via messages, made the effort to call each other once a week, but often more, and attempted to have weekly date nights via Facetime. However, the latter turned out to be a little difficult given that we were both living with our parents at the time. 

I can't even imagine trying to find someone whilst being completely apart. Online dating isn't always easy and some people have horrible experiences. Emma shared that she personally started dating online at the start of lockdown online. She found a larger amount of men started online dating, increasing throughout lockdown as it continued. She also felt that the behaviour of men go worse! "With the reality of people not meeting anytime soon, they were able to be as rude as they liked. I ended up coming off all dating sites, including Facebook dating!" 

I think sometimes, especially women in their late 20s or early 30s, can often feel pressured to find a partner. Don't be! Especially not in a pandemic, and for me, it could even be used as an excuse to tell the grandparents when they ask why you don't have a partner! Nazilla says whilst it's okay and can be fun "to listlessly swipe through all the profiles several times...it's better to be alone than to force yourself to be with someone for the sake of it". I personally never got into the swiping. I've downloaded Tinder twice, both of which lasted about a week each. I just hated the lack of information and when I did swipe yes, the messages were often very cringey. I found a couple of nice people to talk to and then eventually they turned to sex and so I was put off. 

I think it's great to live in a time where we have so many options with online platforms to find others, but also technology in place to allow phone calls, messaging and videos to connect, so why not embrace online dating. My own father found his partner on a dating website and they've been together for 10 years now! I also often thing it's a good think to start relationships off non-physically because you can truly get to know each other personality wise. I've never been strongly against being physical before marriage, but I do believe in dating with a purpose, and often talking about the big topics early on in the relationship can make you realise what's important to you and then you don't waste your time on the wrong person. 

Another positive that Robbie points out is that "meeting up over a Zoom call cuts out all the expense of a bar or restaurant and importantly for all the girls, the hassle of shaving legs or ironing trousers! Best of all, it's easy to leave if the date is going terribly. It's the perfect screening process we never knew we needed!" I have to say this is the best advice I've read and I absolutely love it. 

What do you think about dating online? Have you online dated or are you right now? I would love to hear your experiences in the comments below so share away!