We´re currently on our second round of lockdown and there´s a high probability that the lockdown will be extended until April. With the rate of infection continually rising, the strict no physical contact outside your household (except one visitor at a time) and curfew laws, the feeling of isolation is at peek more than ever.
For married people like myself, the isolation is bearable. At least I have a partner and a son to talk to on a daily basis. But what does it mean to single people especially those who are living alone? Isolation.
A reader emailed me and said that despite the current situation, she´s determined to find her soulmate and get married this year. And I support her. The pandemic shouldn´t be a stumbling block in your search for love.
But how do you navigate dating in 2021 given the real danger of contacting the virus? The risk is high and real. Can you do it safely and successfully?
The answer is yes.
Table of Contents
1. Focus on online dating.
Since online dating is effective (that´s how I met my husband) and safe, now is the time to take advantage of it. Update your online dating profile. Take newer photos of you (even if that would mean only indoor shots). And meet more people online.
2. Go to more zoom dates.
Whether or not your currently on lockdown, to go out on a date in 2021 means meeting up for a virtual date over on zoom. This is how many long distance dating happen anyway, they meet and date only virtually and yet many of them successfully found true love. My husband and I are perfect example. For our first date ever, we chatted online through yahoo messenger.
Today you have zoom, facebook messenger, watsapp or skype at your disposal. Set your first date via any of these platforms. There´s no reason to get trapped on texting or emailing when face time is more than possible.
Make sure you dress up for your zoom date. Put on a natural makeup. Pay attention to the lightning. If you don´t have a ring light, position your camera so that you are facing the source of light such as a window. Pay attention too on the position of your camera so that it captures your best angle.
Putting your camera too low, which often happens when you´re using a phone, will show more of your chin rather than your entire face. You don´t want to look distorted, like you have long chin or too big forehead, to your date. Focus on detail.
3. Ask your friends to match you up.
Just because dating in 2021 moves online doesn´t mean you can´t hire your friends for help. Ask them if they know anyone who is single and if they can introduce you to him. You can always meet-up with a male friend of a friend who is single for a virtual date. See tip #2.
4. Pay attention to obsession.
If you´re single and living alone, it can be tempting to get obsessed with the idea of getting partnered. Although it´s always good to be proactive in meeting people and finding the one, you may want to make sure that you don´t succumb to obsession.
Men can smell obsession from a distance, even virtually. In order to avoid getting obsessed, regulate the time you spend finding love online. For example, you may spend 2 hours per day for online dating. No more.
Develop a hobby or find a way to enjoy your life, albeit homebound.
5. Date like the CEO.
Because online dating is so accessible to everyone, there´s an abundant supply of singles who are in the market for other reasons other than finding true love. If you´re serious in finding the one, then it´s time to date like the CEO. The moment you notice that the other person is not on the same page as you, or if he isn´t serving you, move on. Don´t waste anymore time.
6. Take it slow.
The pandemic is not all bad when it comes to dating. In fact, it has it´s upside. Due to restrictions, you now have reason to keep things slow and to get to know the person really well before meeting up in person.
By taking things slow you weed out the players because only those who are as serious as you in finding the one will spend more time in getting to know you. Like slow cooking in a pot, it takes more time but the result is more delicious and so worth it.
7. You may need to turbo up your relationship.
Turbo relationship is the new coined word brought about by the pandemic. Due to lockdowns, many couples ended up living together or getting engaged/married in a rush.
But what essentially is a turbo relationship and is it really new?
For someone who met my soulmate online and was in a long distance relationship, I believe turbo relationship isn´t a new trend. For example, my husband and I spent seven months online dating. We were chatting online and talking over the phone on a daily basis. And then finally he had summer vacation. He flew eleven hours to meet me in person.
We were together for two weeks before he had to fly back home for work. Less than four months later he flew back to my city to see me and to propose. It was a turbo relationship. Less than four months after he first saw me in person he popped the question. But the thing is, because we were talking for hours every single day for literally an entire year, we got to know each other very well that we´re pretty sure we wanted to get married to each other.
Although ours could be qualified as a turbo relationship, we recently celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary and we´re still as in love as ever.

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So to turbo up your relationship you get to define it´s meaning. Is it cohabiting after just a few months of getting to know each other or getting engaged/married after just a few months of meeting in person?
The risk of getting infected with the virus coupled with the lockdown pretty much made dating more challenging than it already was. But thankfully, there´s still many ways you navigate dating safely and finding love successfully.
Who knows, you may meet the one this year and will get turbo-ed up into getting engaged before 2021 ends. Yay!