Love is quintessential for human functionality. It is the fundamental fuel for all of us, whether you realize it or not. Love can come in all shapes, sizes and forms, but perhaps the area most people struggle is Romantic Relationships. Everyone has walked that extra mile for love, whether it be finding that perfect gift for your partners birthday, staying awake whole night just to be there for someone, or the comical struggles of jumping from one location to another in search of a Couple friendly hotel to spend intimate time with your partner, only to find out 'No Unmarried Couples allowed'. Whether it be maintaining current relationships, simply trying to define a new one, getting back with your ex or trying to find someone new, the whole dynamic of romantic relationships has changed due to the pandemic at hand. So here is a list for the committed, enthusiastic, broken and everyone who falls in between to help find love in the time of corona.
1. Finding new love
If you reading this article you are likely to have some experience with dating apps (Don't lie). So if are trying to forget the past, and intend to start a new chapter in your life or simply are looking for someone special, dating apps are the best place to start considering the lockdown. They allow you to maintain social distancing and meet all kinds of new people. You might be someone who likes to take it slow and is a bit picky or a person looking for something casual, there is something for everyone. While there are multiple dating apps, the two most popular by a huge mile is Tinder and Bumble. Tinder being the most popular, has a quite simple interface with the swipe to left dislike, swipe right for like and swipe up for a superlike. It has some extra features like looping videos, Geo-tagging and a bunch of premium services. The second most popular app Bumble is a tad different, while the swiping features from tinder are carry forwarded bumbles allows you put facts about you, from your height to political inclination, gender, to answers to some premade popular questions about you. Bumble also host the feature where the queen bees make the first move, meaning females have to send the first message after being a match, and they have 24 hours to chat until they get unmatched. For same-sex couples, both have the time to message in the stipulated time. Bumble has also two other sections, BFFs which allows you to find new similar-minded friends or Biz, which allows you to grow your network. There are also niche apps like Grinder which allows Gays and Bisexual men to connect. Similarly, there is Her, a dating app for lesbian, bisexual women and queer users. Some special mentions which take a different approach would be Coffee Meets Bagel that puts emphasis on quality over quantity, OkCupid with the most simple interface, and Wingman that allows your designated wingman to set up your profile and even do the swiping for you.
2. Maintaining current relationships
So you live in a conservative family, where even if you are a young adult with a job it might be taboo to even think about living with your partner and the only time you get intimate time with your partner is either on vacations or spending time in couple friendly hotels. This is a common situation for multiple couples in India, so for such couples maintaining their relationship becomes tough during the lockdown. While for couples living together ( which is mostly married), it is a great opportunity to reflect on their relationships and get closer to each other. For unmarried couples living apart, it is a different story altogether, it is a test of the strength of their relationship. Everyone is barely getting accustomed to the whole 'Work from home' thing, maintaining a relationship can be tough. It is easy to get in arguments or just feel depressed not being able to see one another. So here is an approach couples can take
Step 1- To fight such issues where you are not able to assign time to each other, make a schedule that includes a rough idea of everything from their work to personal. This would allow unmarried couples to get an estimate when they can communicate or when is the other person simply free. So that you know when your partner is available
Step 2- The next step would be to use of free video calling apps, that allows you to see each other much more often. Quite not physical interaction but, it is the closest one can get during a pandemic. Getting to see your partner and have a talk with your partner when you are down or struggling to find motivation can do wonders and release a lot of serotonin (science talk!).
Step 3- Plan weekly activities with each other kind of like dates but online. Make plans such a watching movie together on Netflix using extensions like Netflix Party, listen to songs, read each other stories and poems, play games together. While spending intimate time in a couple friendly hotels right now with your partner is a distant future, the generation of the internet does make the wait much easier. The sky is the limit, so be creative and try out new activities.
3. Retrieving old love
And if, in some distant place in the future, we see each other in our new lives. I will smile at you with joy, and remember how we spent a summer beneath the trees learning from each other and growing in love.
Sebastian, La La Land (2016)
This one is for all the people who went through real like 'La La Land'ish break up. Maybe the time wasn't right, maybe you were too young and naïve, maybe mistakes were made, but a common theme in all those was a heartbreak. When two people part due to not being compatible or not sharing the same feelings for each other it is hard. But you know what is harder? being forced to part due to unforeseeable reasons or external factors which you had no control over. A uncomfortable rule of life is acceptance. but sometime time can heal a wound even though the scars remains. So maybe it is time to give that relation one last thought, especially if you were the one who broke it. It's not about calling them or texting them instantaneously just on the basis of the happy time you had, but more about giving a thought because life is giving you a chance to think and it doesn't hurt. Don't rush, as nostalgia even makes the guillotine look good, but take advice from your friends, think over it rationally. After and only after taking everything into account, if it makes sense maybe drop them one text and see how it goes. The world is frozen some might say until quarantine ends, so maybe you can make the best of it.
In short, love is hard to get, hard to maintain and hard to leave. It requires a lot of effort, but we humans need it now more than ever when the world is going through a pandemic. There is someone for everyone out there, you just have to wait for the right time, and it clicks. Love has over came multiples wars in the past, so hold on as this too will pass.