You're not alone if the holiday blahs and your meager dating situation are making you feel depressed. Dating has becoming harder for everyone, including seasoned daters, due to rigorous lockdowns and stay-at-home directives.
You're not alone if the holiday blahs and your meager online dating situation are making you feel depressed. Dating has becoming harder for everyone, including seasoned daters, due to rigorous lockdowns and stay-at-home directives. However, you don't have to put a complete stop to dating. Even if you have decided against planning a date night with a new person or canceling your trip home to spend the holidays with friends and family, you still have the internet at your disposal.
In fact, with so much free time, using this digital toolkit to interact online can be just what you need to liven up your life and make the holidays more enjoyable.
After nine months of imaginative socially distant meets and mask-wearing hikes with prospective love interests, one might assume that single individuals would get bored. But despite the continued social constraints, the large increase in dating app users shows that there is still a strong yearning for interpersonal contact over this Christmas season.
Cuffing season, which lasts from October through Valentine's Day, is when single people actively try to get into relationships with other people in real life or online in order to celebrate the holidays as a couple. As the weather turns cooler, most activities are moved inside, where it's warm and comfortable.
The cuffing season and COVID-19 are a double whammy for singles this year. This time frame, where extremely unusual behavior surges through the holidays, strikes me as dating on steroids. You don't have to celebrate alone as your friends reveal they've gone exclusive, even though your usual holiday festivities have probably changed.
Join In as Dating App Use Has Dramatically Increased
I can attest to the fact that activity on dating apps is out of this world and has been increasing since March as an online dating specialist and coach. The safest way to date right now is online, using a computer or mobile device in the comfort of your living room. The use of the dating app Hinge increased by 17% over the summer. The peak period of user interaction for the entire year has so far been the fall season leading up to the holidays.
Additional information from a research website reveals that over the months of September and October, both Match and OkCupid saw an increase of 21%. During the same time frame, Bumble recorded an increase of 16%.
With a few exceptions, all of this activity means that the dating guidelines you previously believed to be true are no longer applicable. Be at ease about learning Dutch. Instead of going out to eat, you'll be having a Zoom conference at your houses while sipping cocktails. No more racy liaisons. Instead, have a private talk where you can discover more about yourself than your online dating.
You'll be interested in this article: Online Dating: Wherever You Go, We'll Help You Find Love
Be funnier when using your icebreakers and flirting strategies.
Online single daters need a fresh set of skills in these modern times. It's time to put an end to your bah humbug attitude and replace it with a sense of humor because both single men and women cite humor as one of the top qualities people search for in a romantic relationship.
If your dating app profile is outdated, it indicates that you don't take the search for love online seriously. You can improve your ability to have digital conversations during this downtime at home. Profit from the fact that your list of things to do is less than it has ever been.
If you're at a loss for words, conduct some research to get advice on how to write a clever description in your profile that will catch the eye of a prospective match. The same is true for taking a lovely picture of oneself (or two, or three) that doesn't show you wearing a mask. Mask-wearing can wait until later. Modern dating apps include a ton of fresh features and icebreaker ideas to help you connect with people almost anywhere in the world.
Use your shared experiences as conversation starters and sharing opportunities. Even though most people have encountered challenging circumstances in life, resist the want to only discuss the bad aspects of your day. Look for odd or amusing conversation starters. A new study from Tinder called The Year in Swipe 2020 lists some of the biggest trends in this historic year.
One example is how users of the dating app Tinder claimed they couldn't date someone who didn't support the BLM movement. Another is the expansion of TikTok usage. Unsurprisingly, the survey found that despite the pandemic, singles are still dating.
The digital world has been inundated with emojis in unprecedented quantities. Emoji users get more dates and have more sex, according to studies.
Depending on your mood, I advise you to include emoticons in your texts and SMS conversations. When an emoji captures someone's attention, you probably have a better chance of getting a response to your message.
Watch a movie
Even though most movie theaters are closed, it's never been simpler to see a movie with your long-distance crush. Couples who stream together have been known to fall in love, whether it be while watching the Emmy-winning Netflix comedy "Schitt's Creek" or the Hulu film "Happiest Season," starring Daniel Levy and Kristen Stewart.
You can even plan a Christmas date from the comfort of your home to watch "Wonder Woman 1984," which just came out, on HBO Max or in a drive-in theater. When you can't be in the same room or city, using this Chrome extension on a date is the ideal way to make memories together. You can voice your ideas in the comments section while taking a break to enjoy a scoop of Ben & Jerry's Netflix & Chilled ice cream.
Video dates
Since I've been preaching about how successful and efficient video dates are—especially since you can immediately evaluate a date—singles have started to take notice. According to Bumble, 30% of its single users indicate they are focused on meeting someone before the holidays, and this past spring, video calls on the app increased by 70%.
For singles using online dating apps to swipe, going on virtual dates has become the new standard. I'm aware that many of you have started using Zoom calls for social gatherings a la Hollywood Squares and business meetings. It's time to start getting good at booking a virtual date if you haven't previously.
Plan a video date as a chance to dress up, have a drink, enjoy a good movie, and meet new people. You'll need to remove your makeup from the dusty drawer where it's been hiding and become date-ready from the waist up in order to prepare for your video date. Check your illumination carefully. The ideal illumination is from natural light, but you can also have a lamp in front of you.
And there you have it—a few entertaining backgrounds with a festive theme! Together with yourself, you'll be cheering up your date. A selection of 60 holiday-themed Zoom backdrops, including reindeer and chestnuts roasting over an open fire, has been prepared by The Bash, a website for party planning. You can alter your virtual background multiple times every day to show off your stylishness without missing a beat rather than stressing over what to wear.
