words Al Woods
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As more people continue to date online after lockdown, a few obstacles have arisen that have prevented people from taking the plunge to meet someone in person. A lack of confidence being one of them.
Suppose you are one of those struggling to move their online lockdown love or dating life to the real world. These six tips below can help you with the transition.
1) Take things Slow
It’s essential at this point to take it slow and agree to one date at a time to get you back into the swing of things. And, with one date to plan for instead of 5, there will be less pressure on you before your meetup.
2) Be Safe
Beyond telling those close to you who, when, and where you’ll be seeing somewhere for your planned date. There’s another new precaution you may want to take; checking whether your date is covid safe.
Having a chat with your date online beforehand about whether you’re both fully vaccinated means you won’t need to restrict any potential flirtatious touching during your meet-up.
3) Plan a Shared Activity
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Dating, for the most part, especially when you haven’t done so in person for a while, can be nerve-wracking. To ease your anxieties, indulge in an activity you both enjoy, as this will inspire you both to be your best selves.
Plus, planning a meet-up that doesn’t revolve around coffee or dinner will make your date much more exciting and memorable, too.
4) Hour or Less Date
Gauge the chemistry you and an exciting date share in a confined time, such as in a date that takes an hour or less.
In doing so, it eases the pressure off either person—particularly when they’re out of touch with in-person dating.
During the date, you can get a sense of whether the conversation flows if you share common interests and whether you enjoy their company.
Plus, should your date be unpleasant, rude, or exhibit any other behaviour that makes you feel uncomfortable and offended, you will feel less awkward about leaving once the hour or less date is done.
5) Feel Good About You
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Give yourself a boost of confidence before an in-person date by preparing and making yourself look and feel incredible.
You can do this by choosing what you’ll wear the night before to prevent getting flustered before the date. If you’re unsure what to wear, Flux details a few items that never go out of fashion, which you’re likely to own, such as an LBD.
Equally, drinking more water on the run-up to your date, taking a hot relaxing bath to unwind, and listening to spa music will help settle nerves and make you feel relaxed yet ready for the date.
6) Keep an Open Mind
Some online dating apps and websites present people searching for companionship or love as a commodity, which presents a few issues. One is the swipe right or left movement on apps such as tinder, for instance, often prevents people from finding out who an individual is beyond their appearance.
So when dating in person, keep an open mind, and allow your date to impress you without writing them off on trivial things – such as their looks or clothing.
Moreover, lean into the date to reveal more about who you are so that they can equally gain a better understanding about you as a person.
Dating in person is insightful and could help you learn more about yourself, such as your non-negotiables in a potential partner.
As such, even if an in-person date doesn’t go as you’d hoped. You’ve likely still learned or taken something away from that meeting. And can potentially spot warning signs on your next date or avoid bringing up topics on the first date that might elicit a mixed response.
If you’re not ready to dive into exclusive in-person dating just yet, consider cross-dating online and offline until you build your courage to say yes to dates in real life.
