*This post was written in collaboration with Match Me Happy.

The Coronavirus outbreak has made some changes to the way we go about our daily lives. Anyone single has probably ended up putting dating on the back-burner for a bit, which is understandable. But what about those people who are in a relationship? Or a very new relationship? Even though things seem to be opening up again, local lockdown measures seem to be multiplying across towns and cities in the UK. So if you are attached, newly attached or you are looking to get attached, how on earth can you cope with dating in these weird and wonderful times?

Food Zoom calls

Granted, this one sounds a bit weird. But you CAN still “go out for a meal” even though you are staying in. Going out for meals is one of the great pleasures of dating. You get food, you get alcohol, and if you are lucky you get good conversation. With a little bit of tweaking, you can still have a nice “dinner date” over Zoom. Just make sure you try and get your food at the same time, sit at the table with your tablet or laptop and let the conversation flow much in the same way as it would if you were facing each other in real life.

Write letters

When you meet people on free dating sites, you tend to send quick-fire messages back and forth. Sometimes it can be information overload and you probably wouldn’t realise how common it is to say the wrong thing in a rush or have a text misconstrued because it is read in a rush. Why not bring some romance back and write some letters to each other? Let’s face it if your local area goes back into lockdown you won’t have much else to do. People tend to pour their hearts out more on a letter than they would a text, so it can give you a really honest insight into the person you are trying to get to know. 

Arrange to meet – safely

Restaurants and pubs are back open again, but that does not mean everyone is going to be comfortable going to them, especially if you initially found your date on a site like matchmehappy.co.uk. The most important thing to gauge first is how comfortable you and your date are going out in public. Have the mask conversation first. Remember, some people cannot wear them for medical reasons so you might not physically be able to go to a place that requires masks. Although you do not need to wear a mask to eat, most restaurants require them in communal areas. If you are a spontaneous person, a huge element of date planning has been taken out of your hands. With limited space, you will need to book a restaurant ahead and even tables in pubs in some instances. It would also be worth having the health conversation. Who has your date been around? Have they been isolating? Given all of this, there is still no reason you can’t go on some fabulous lockdown dates, and find the love of your life.