Ready for love

by PRIYA MULJI

SOCIAL anxiety! Who else is experiencing this?

I have felt pretty anxious over the past couple of months. I forced myself to have some time out from writing, life and pretty much everything else. And I feel better for it. However, the end of lockdown is in sight, hooray! Dating apps are starting to pick up pace after a slow year and people are making plans to meet again. That is, if you haven’t already met someone for a walk or coffee outside in the cold. Sitting outside on a freezing spring day just isn’t for me, nonetheless, I am looking forward to getting back into the dating universe.

With singletons nationwide departing from a dating hiatus, it can bring fear. We might have received our vaccines, but has the man or woman we are meeting had theirs? Are the people around us safe? What if my date does not wear a mask? Everything about dating is currently filled with ‘what ifs’, but it isn’t impossible to meet someone wonderful.

Don’t worry, to feel this anxiety is completely normal. We have hardly interacted with people – never mind humans we want to date. What would we even talk about? Start slow, talk about the pandemic and what you have filled your time with, and the conversation will naturally flow. Don’t meet someone unless you’re absolutely sure they are safe. Chances are, they might have met a few people, so be careful.

The weather is going to get nicer, so take advantage of establishments with outdoor spaces, and there is no reason you still can’t go on pandemic-made-popular walking dates. Let’s face it, we’ve all pretty much been recluses for the past year and as I mentally prepare myself to meet someone new, I can’t help but smile. After a pandemic-fuelled breakup, I was forced to get over someone in the hardest way possible. I’ve come out stronger and I’m ready for love.

Ultimately, we have been in lockdown, but we have also had time to prioritise ourselves in this time. We have been our own best friends, and that is the beauty of coming out of lockdown. We will emerge out of the hiatus as ugly ducklings blossoming into beautiful swans. That first date is going to be hard, but don’t let that stop you from meeting the love of our life. The love that will not care about the extra kilos you gained in lockdown or the fact you haven’t had your hair done for a year. It’s time for love, real love.