8 Dating Tips During The Coronavirus Outbreak

Amid the continuous spread of the Coronavirus and the lockdowns in many cities across the nation, many are wondering what this means in terms of dating and relationships.

Should we still date? Is it safe to date? How can we still bridge connection?

First and foremost, our health and safety are paramount at this time. Listening to our local and state officials should be our chief concern and the first place we seek information and guidance.

But what does the coronavirus and lockdown mean for dating? Perhaps it creates a new face for dating?

While we just officially ended “cuffing season”, the time of year, when people couple-off to enjoy cozy snuggles and companionship during the winter months, the coronavirus outbreak has created a pause in our traditional dating during this time of year. Typically, during springtime, this season invites us to come out from under the furrows of winter and seek more social and outdoor activities. We’re ready to meet new people.

Yet, the Coronavirus is creating a major new shift and paradigm throughout the entire world. It’s dramatically changing how we conduct our everyday lives, even how we take care of life’s mundane tasks, such as grocery shopping and getting gas for our vehicles. So, naturally, it’s impacting our dating and relationships. It’s not as easy anymore to swipe right and have a date planned by the weekend. We have new safety measures to consider and people are exercising caution about meeting new people.

Recently, the dating app, Tinder, urged its subscribers to exercise safety precautions while dating.

Though the virus has put us in a temporary holding pattern, it doesn’t mean that we can’t still connect. What it has down is slowed down our instant gratification in romance and relationships, and instead, has afforded us the time in the initial stages of dating to foster more chemistry and connection without the physical contact.

To explore new ways of dating during the coronavirus, I created 8 tips that can help us still get our romance on and attract new connections.

1. Join a dating app and start swiping. If you’re not currently on a dating app, now is a prime time to join one. People are looking for connection amid the coronavirus. Social isolation can bring feelings of boredom and loneliness, and many men and women, alike, are searching for connection during this time. One dating boon that we have during this time is that people’s options are much more limited. The random “hook-up” is a little more challenging now for those not using the app for genuine connection and relationship. Further, with limited access to face-to-face dates and a barrage of suitors, men and women, may be more inclined to focus solely on one person.

2.   Take it back old-school. If you’re a bit old-fashioned like me, you might enjoy the archaic dating practice of talking for hours on the phone, laughing and bantering with a potential romantic partner. It’s an easy, fun, and benign way to build communication and connection with a suitor. It also creates a wonderful opportunity to learn more about one another by actually talking and being fully present, without leaving your own home. When all there’s left is verbal communication, we can discover more, and often sooner, about a person and spark the genesis of a romantic connection. Video-chatting is also a wonderful and safer alternative to meeting in person until the virus ceases. Perhaps a scheduled “date” on video chat while you both eat dinner or sip your favorite wine, coffee or tea, can create the effects of a date.

3.   Choose lip-locking partners carefully. Kissing and hand-holding during the initial stages of dating is very fun and exciting. However, if we’ve recently started dating someone and you’re not sure of their contact with others during the virus outbreak, we might want to wait to lock lips. During this time we may want to be selective and limit kissing, hand-holding and other forms of intimacy within exclusive dating relationships. Non-exclusivity could mean one simple kiss and we’re kissing multiple people at the same time and spreading germs and potential viruses. 

4.   Date-night at home. Though it’s springtime, the virus has us spending more time at home, so we can essentially extend “cuffing-season” awhile longer. Date nights at home or even via video chat can also be fun and romantic. Perhaps experimenting with favorite recipes, playing board games, watching movies on Netflix or Hulu, or even playing a game together virtually, such as Head’s Up or apps with card and board games. Ordering take-out from our favorite restaurants, using precaution, keeps our economy boosted. In spite of the shutdown from the coronavirus, it’s important that we continue to spend money and support our local merchants and economy as best as we can.

5.   Take your date to the outdoors. While we’re encouraged to keep social distance, it has been reported from government officials and medical experts that with some distance, it is safe for us to go for bike rides, walks and hikes in open parks and neighborhoods. We can be creative and adventurous in exploring new ways to date.

6.   Say it in words. If we’re dating long distance or prefer not to meet in person for now, why not express our hearts through words and send an old-fashioned love note. Perhaps we can mail it using traditional “snail mail” or send an email or electronic greeting card to our “romantic” interest. This simple act can ignite a new flame or keep an existing flame burning.

7.   Put love out into the world, not fear. During precarious times such as these, it’s important for us to reflect on some of the bigger questions, such as, are we embodying the love we want to witness in the world or are we living and projecting our fears? Whichever we send out is what we will experience. Fear and panic begets more fear and panic. Love begets more love. We can improve the quality of love and relationships by being mindful of the love or fear we inject into the world. Love is the anecdote for healing.

8.   Date yourself. When life slows us down, it’s a pivotal time to go inward — to soul-search. Who better to begin dating and understanding more deeply than ourselves? Moments of massive “silence” can guide us toward inner-silence. We can spend more time in meditation, mindfulness, journaling, reading, and nurturing our minds, souls, and bodies with healthy and positive nourishment and love. We can choose to date ourselves and love ourselves the way we want our partners or potential partners to love us. Whatever we desire in romance, we can give to ourselves. We can write ourselves love notes, buy our favorite flowers and chocolates, or run our favorite baths. We can use this time to grow in self-compassion and self-care.

While there’s still so much uncertainty around the coronavirus and the state of the world, it’s important that we exercise calm and continue living our lives as positively as possible. Dating, love, and relationships are an integral part of our human existence and we shouldn’t stop dating and creating love but perhaps it will look a little differently for the time being. Love makes the world go round and relationships, all relationships, are the cornerstone to a healthy and happy world.