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The Challenges of Dating During Lockdown

Andrew Gung

As a professional dating coach with Core Confidence Coaching, I was in a very challenging position coaching clients throughout lockdown, testing, and discovering different and new ways to date effectively. One of the biggest questions circling the dating world right now is: how can I build meaningful relationships and connections with such limited physical contact? But, with hard work and determination, our clients have managed to achieve just that. We’ve been able to help clients develop some incredible relationships, finding ways to adapt so that your dating life doesn’t have to be in lockdown too.

Now, this comes with challenges, of course. You can't easily go to a bar and approach someone. You can't even invite someone home after a government-approved socially distanced walk. Even arranging the walk poses unique challenges. You don't necessarily know how sensitive someone will be about COVID. Your sensitivities are important as well and you have the right to expect the other person to be considerate of that. You also have the ever-changing COVID rules that we, of course, encourage you to comply with. In many ways, these COVID challenges are just another obstacle in the dating world that we must work through.

As a dating company, we have years of experience understanding and working through all kinds of unique challenges. No two clients are the same, but we do find that there are consistent strategies that work time and time again. Something our clients have been struggling with the most is working out how to jump into the dating world and meet new people. One of the most obvious avenues is online dating. This means that you can be at home, in lockdown, where you open an app, such as Tinder or Bumble, and immediately start interacting with people in your area and building connections. Now that’s an incredible advantage of modern technology and the times we live in! The internet has become a primary way of meeting new people and dating, which has created an abundance of men and women who are using apps with the same intentions, to meet and connect with new people. People are actively searching for someone to fill the void created by the pandemic. Another advantage is that it has now become so much more socially acceptable to meet people on dating apps (because how else can you meet anyone during a global pandemic?).

Another common struggle among our clients is feelings of loneliness and isolation. Is it possible to create meaningful connections with others without in-person interactions? This is a very heavy question, and it’s very difficult to present yourself genuinely and meaningfully over text or on a webcam. Even post-lockdown, it’s hard to get back into the swing of things and start interacting with people in-person again. The lasting impacts of the pandemic on mental health make us more vulnerable to rejections and the common struggles of dating. However, we specialize in helping people through these difficulties.

The key is to continue to expose yourself to new people and new ways of interacting. Aside from dating apps, online social groups such as Meetup.com and social clubs on Facebook are fantastic ways of putting yourself out there. There are many niche Facebook dating groups, such as religious dating groups or groups for specific interests or hobbies.

Lockdown is also a fantastic opportunity to refine your approaching skills! Once the lockdown eventually ends, you will be able to go out and meet people face-to-face again. Approaching people on the street is an excellent way to connect but can be daunting at times. As dating coaches, we specialise in guiding people through meeting women on the street, talking and interacting with them in thoughtful and respectful ways with empathy, understanding, and emotional intelligence.

Post-pandemic (if you can imagine that for a minute), people will continue using dating apps more than ever before because they have become part of our culture as one of the most common ways of meeting new people. During the transitional phase to a “COVID-normal”, people are going to be looking for fun, interesting, new ways to date. There will be a general desire to meet up with new people after a long period of isolation. So, if you are single, go to meet-up events, like speed-dating, after lockdowns are finished.

With consistent work on yourself, the right guidance, determination, and dedication to be the best version of yourself, it will be possible for you to get out of the COVID slump. Our Core Confidence coaches are there to assist you to speed up your recovery and build some incredible connections!

Andrew Gung

The CEO and founder of Core Confidence, Andrew and has been studying, applying, and teaching the skills to develop real, meaningful relationships with incredible people over the last decade.