Social Distancing Date Ideas.

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COVID-19 has turned the world upside down. The small things we enjoyed like meeting our friends for lunch or heading out for a pint on a Friday evening have all become a distant memory. Even with lock-down easing in many places, there are those who will prefer to play it safe and stick to minimal social contact. But despite the world coming to a standstill, relationships carry on and we begin to crave those date nights we took for granted.

Whether you’re already in a relationship or looking for love on dating sites such as www.dateaberdeensingles.co.uk, there’s no need to settle for ‘just talking.’ There are many ways we can recreate the perfect date night while safety adhering to social distancing.

The importance of dating and why we need date nights in a relationship.

It may not seem ‘essential‘ to date your spouse after years of being together. In fact it’s commonly thought that after you get married, live together, and have children that date night is no longer a priority. However, there’s evidence that suggests that dating while in a long term relationship is just as important as those early weeks.

Frequent date nights allow you to focus on each other, and gives you the time to talk or just be together without the presence of others. It’s far too easy to fall into a rut in a long term partnership, and this can often leave us wondering ‘how did we get to this‘? The routine and monotony of every day life is a known relationship killer, therefore it’s important to keep things interesting. I’m not talking extravagant gifts or weekends to Paris. Date night can be as simple as switching off your phones and watching a movie, or cooking each other a meal.

Dating has also been proven to increase the resilience of a long term relationship. Every partnership has it’s challenging and so with frequent connection, the troubling times won’t seem all that troubling. No matter what stage of a relationship you’re at, it’s important that you keep the romance and intimacy alive both physically and emotionally.

Are you currently looking for love? Now is the perfect time to check out online dating with Date Aberdeen Singles or your local equivalent.

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Top five date ideas in the time of COVID-19.

Visit your local outdoor cinema.

With the closure of cinemas nationwide, it’s anyone’s guess when they’ll finally be permitted to open again. In fact there have already been local rumours of many remaining closed for good due to a lack of funding. But when one door closes another opens, and there have been many outdoor cinemas popping up all over Northern Ireland (and the world). How awesome is that? There have even been ‘sing-a-longs’ organised for movies like Grease and Mama Mia all from the safety of your own vehicle.

If you’re an established couple now’s your chance to cosy up in your car with the seats down, some home-brewed tea or coffee (or alcohol if you’re not driving), and snacks all in the comfort of your own environment. But don’t be discouraged if you’re socially distancing from your other half. You can both watch the movie in separate vehicles with the windows down, that way you can enjoy it together while you’re apart. Both are excellent ways of making the best of a less than ideal situation.

Get a takeaway.

If you’re anything like my partner and me, you’ve been doing a lot more home cooking since lock-down started. We’ve barely stepped outside the front door to go anywhere other than work, for a walk, or for the essential shop. Although cooking together is wonderful, it can get tedious and mundane. So why not take a break and order in from your local takeaway? Not only are you enjoying food prepared by someone else (which always tastes better) but you’re helping out a local takeaway or restaurant that is no doubt struggling in the current economic climate. It’s a win/win all round!

Go for a picnic.

Provided you have the weather for it a picnic can be an excellent way to not only get back to nature, but also to spend time with each other away from technology. My partner and I took several trips to one of our favourite local spots with a bag of goodies, a blanket and our youngest cat. Although the weather has taken a drastic turn here, we’ve still been eating outside in our yard when ever possible.

If you’re living together or your partner is within your social bubble, why not pack the essentials (a blanket, snacks, drinks, and possibly a coffee) and head to your local forest, mountain, or even just walking trail for some fresh air? You could even stage a photoshoot and make a real day of it!

Cook each other a meal from scratch.

My partner is always the one to do the cooking in our household, but on Valentines day we both took the kitchen to conjure up the perfect meal. But separately.

Making pizzas for each other is the perfect way to show your partner how much you know about their taste buds. Or maybe you just want to make them something beautiful? Either way, it’s always fun when you’re hosting your own, intimate version of a master chef.

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❤ We made each other pizza last night. Mine looked like a vagina, hence no picture 🤣🤣, while Ryan’s looked like a pretty decent ♡. It’s a pity it was practically inediable! 😖 But we had fun eating them (mine) and rating each other based on various categories (guess who won 🤔).

A post shared by Chloe || Recovery & MH Blog (@nyxtrix) on Feb 15, 2020 at 1:53pm PST

Set up your very own at-home spa night.

Much like cinemas the majority if not all spas have been closed since the beginning of the pandemic, and for good reason. But that doesn’t mean you have to miss out. It might not be exactly the same but there are many ways to set up an at-home spa experience.

All you need are some hot towels, relaxing lighting, sensual music and if you’re feeling fancy, a glass of cucumber water. Run a bath and allow the steam to fill the room creating an at-home sauna. And the best thing? You can use your own scrubs and moisturiser so you already know that you’ll love it. You can even take it one step further and finish off the evening with a relaxing foot bath complete with bath salts and scented lotion. Oh and don’t forget the facemasks!

Interested in creating your own Turkish Bath experience? Check out this post for more details.

Multiplayer games!

I’ve arguable saved the best for last. Whether you’re living apart or together you can always organise a date night entirely composed of multiplayer video games. There are so many titles to choose from including Animal Crossing, Minecraft, virtual Dungeons and Dragons, and Mario Cart to name a few. A virtual game night is a perfect date for a nerdy couple and some of my favourite dates have been shared at home, on the couch with Super Smash Brothers.

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Bonus! Fort Friday!

I couldn’t let a date night article go by without mentioning Fort Friday. I personally love the idea of building a fort in my living room using bedsheets and blankets. Not only is it an unusual date but it’s a bit of a throwback to simpler times when my grandmother would make us forts in her kitchen. Plus it’s fairly simple to achieve. All you need are blankets, bedsheets, and various means to stabalise them into a ‘tent’ position. Add some cushions and maybe even a blow-up mattress and you have yourself a cosy place from which you can comfortably watch movies or play games. Feeling fancy? Add some fairy lights for that extra romantic touch.

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Have you any other ideas for socially distance dating? Whether you’re in a long term relationship or you’ve only started dating, I’d love to hear your experience in the comments below.

I would like to thank Date Aberdeen Singles for sponsoring this post.