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Love in the Time of Coronavirus: 6 Tips for Dating While Social Distancing

By Cody Gohl Published January 19, 2022

Well, y’all, times are officially weird. With most of us cooped up at home to help slow the spread of coronavirus, many well-established social norms have been thrown out the window. One of which happens to be dating. How are we supposed to keep relationships alive when we can’t even go outside? Well, I’m so glad you asked!

Below, I’m going to share some ideas for finding and sustaining love in the time of coronavirus. Are dating and sex the most pressing thing in the world right now? No, but we’re social creatures, and it’s important to acknowledge the power of human connection. I believe we can be vigilant and still have fun while making it through this truly unprecedented time.

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Jump on the Apps

If you’ve been app-avoidant in your dating life thus far, now is absolutely the time for that to change. Business is booming on dating apps like Bumble, Hinge, Tinder, and OkCupid, so make a snazzy little profile and get to swiping. I know I’ve personally been enjoying this flirtatious outlet, and have been surprised by the deep and funny conversations I’ve gotten to have with other self-isolated strangers. We’ve got nothing but time on lockdown, so use it to brush up on your game.

video chat woman night — Gorodenkoff/Getty Images

Set up a Virtual Date

If you happen to connect with someone online, why not set up a little virtual date to meet? You could do this on FaceTime, Hangouts, Skype, Zoom, or whatever video platform you like best. Keep it low stakes and casual, just like you would on a first date. I recommend turning it into a fun little happy hour after “work” so you can get dressed up (remember pants?) and share a brew with your new cutie. Sure, it may feel a little awkward, but I guarantee the nerves will subside once the conversation starts to flow.

Get Creative

But what about if you were kind-of-sort-of seeing someone a month or two before the pandemic broke out? How in the world do you keep the wheels spinning? Well, my advice is to get creative. It’s not enough to text and call and video chat and on and on and on. You’ve got to bring a little pizazz to the experience. So, set up a virtual picnic. Write and send each other dirty mad libs. Turn on the same TV show and “watch” it together in your separate rooms. Download an app like House Party and play virtual games. These are trying times baby, and the only way to get through them is to have fun!

Keep It Playful

To that end, you’ve got to keep the correspondence at least somewhat playful. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably fallen into a few conversation pits in which it seems like the only things you can talk about are the pandemic and the fear and the worries you have about the world. These are all valid topics deserving of space, but they can’t be the only things we think about. So, try to break up the darkness with a little light. One app you might want to use is Marco Polo. It’s a video messaging service that lets couples (or friend groups!) create a collective “reel” of short, goofy video messages. I’ve been using it and find it to be a lovely distraction from the chaos.

texting phone bed night — Luis Alvarez/Getty Images

Let’s Talk About Sext, Baby!

Ah, yes, sexting. A bit of a taboo topic, but one that should definitely be indulged if it’s something you’re into. I personally love it and find that it’s an easy way to blow off steam, keep the sexy vibes alive, and unleash some grade A dirty talk. The key here is (surprise, surprise) open, direct, and honest communication. Do what feels good, and nothing more. If a full-on video call feels too intimate and strange, try phone sex, texting, or pic swaps (Instagram has a handy little feature that lets you determine how many times a DM’d photo can be viewed). No matter how you sext, my biggest piece of advice is to commit hard and be specific. If you push through the initial awkwardness, the returns will be super satisfying.

Change It Up

At the end of the day, the most important thing to keep in mind while dating in this time of coronavirus is to change it up. Many of our schedules have become reduced to not much more than a shuffle between the living room and the bedroom, so we’ve got to make things fresh when and how we can. Do new things. Experiment. Make bold choices. There’s no denying that these days are hard and trying, but love is resilient and will always find a way.

For more resources on how to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, check out our full guide to adapting to a socially distant life.

For more dating tips, check out our brother site, Digital Trends:

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Cody Gohl is a Brooklyn-based writer who enjoys covering a wide range of topics, including travel, fashion, literature, LGBT…

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The Best Artists for Listening to Music in Isolation

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Music remains one of the best medicines on the planet. It’s a universal language that’s ever-relatable, inspires escape, and even allows us to grieve.
Right now, there’s a lot to process. I can’t imagine doing it without the incredible support good music provides. Whether you’re looking to lower your blood pressure, cry a river in the bathtub, challenge your mind, or simply dance the night away, we’ve got some fine suggestions for coping with what’s unfolding.
Tough times are much less so with the right tunes.

Relaxing
There’s a lot of anxiety in the air and it’s vital that we both relax and sleep. Fortunately, there’s music that inspires calm waters. For wafting, fluid, mist-like guitar work that’ll send you right off to bed, check out Cigarettes After Sex. The band’s whispered atmospheric rock is the lullaby we all need right now.
Katilyn Aurelia Smith is another act up to the task. The Washington State-born composer specializes in ambient synth music that’s ideal for a long exhale. In fact, her latest recording, Tides, was crafted specifically for meditation and yoga, and ebbs and flows nicely, with a rhythmic backbone that’ll place you into a peaceful trance. Moses Sumney is also worth a listen. His sound is hard to pin down but quite therapeutic, falling somewhere between neo-folk and futuristic soul. He’s already received some big endorsements from the music world, like James Blake.
Cigarettes After Sex

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A Practical Guide to Writing While Quarantined

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As a writer, I have felt a tremendous amount of pressure to get a lot of work done during this quarantine. What does a writer crave more than long stretches of alone time to sit and think and plan? Not much. So, I’ve sat in front of my computer on many a quarantined night trying to do just that and have come up short. Maybe you’re in a similar boat or perhaps your writer’s block has taken on a different form. Regardless, I decided to drum up a guide to help us both.

Below, I’ve outlined some tips and tricks I’ve been using to get writing in quarantine. It’s by no means an exhaustive list, and what works for me may not work for you. But, it should give you a few tools to whip out the next time you’re feeling stuck.
Consider Your Writing Wish List
Before opening a fresh Google Doc or getting started on a character profile, think about your writing wish list. What stories/forms/ideas have you wanted to explore, but never felt like you had the time to? What is it that you want to say? How do you want to say it? I recommend blocking off an afternoon to free-form brainstorm for a while. You can write your way through this exercise, draw pictures, make maps, do whatever you want to do, as long as you’re giving yourself the space to sift through your thoughts before jumping into the writing process. More than anything, remember that you’re writing for yourself first, so only dive into projects that truly excite you.
Be Realistic
And while you’re brainstorming, make sure to keep it at least somewhat realistic. Instead of saying you’re going to write the next Great American Novel during the pandemic, maybe you say you’re going to write a stellar short story that speaks to your lived experience. Or maybe you challenge yourself to explore a different traditional form of poetry each week. The key is to produce things to completion so you can get that little creative kick without getting discouraged by your inability to produce the next Moby Dick.
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We all respond to stress differently. For some, it produces a panic of tail-chasing “what if” ideation or sets off a downward spiral of lethargic cynicism. For others, it leads to explosive overachievement, which doesn’t seem that bad until you run out of stuff to clean, cook, or organize. And for still others, stress is a trigger for serious disorders like anxiety, depression, addiction, and self-harm.

These are all side effects of the brain and body going into "emergency mode." When your brain senses danger, it signals the body to shut down anything unnecessary, while turning up the senses to maximize your perception of where and whom the danger is coming from.