Best of time...or worst?
‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…’ – the popular phrase from English writer Charles Dickens now rings true that the entire world is in a virtual lockdown. How is it the best of times, you ask? Well, pollution levels are down, skies and water bodies are clearing up, there is less traffic to grapple with, people are spending more time with their families, fresh home-cooked meals are making their way back to the table.
For couples living together, it is a great opportunity to reconnect and fire up that spark all over again.
For those of you in that early phase of dating, not being able to meet up, go out and do things together can truly make it seem like the worst of times. Except it doesn’t have to be that way. All you’ve got to do is think outside the box and leverage virtual extensions of real-life situations to keep things hot and sizzling even with all that distance. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:
Set ‘em virtual dates
Real-life dates may have been put on hold but that doesn’t mean you two can’t still see each other as often as you like. That’s what video calls are for! Pick a time that works for you both, dress up, pour yourself a glass of wine (or Fanta!) and date away from the comfort of your home. As you get more comfortable with each other’s virtual presence in your life, you can take things up a notch by cooking or watching a movie together over video calls.
Stream it together
Did you have to cancel that movie outing you’ve been looking forward to? Make up for it by watching a movie or a show together on ones of the OTT platforms. There are several apps and extensions – like Netflix Party, Watch2Gether, Rabbit and Gaze – that allow you to remotely watch online content together. Use them to your advantage.
Sext it up
All that free time at hand firing up your desires? What better way to release sexual energy than with some intense sexting! Yes, it may seem a little awkward at first but once you shed your inhibitions, the experience can grow on you pretty quickly. You can also try some online tools – read remote-controlled sex toys – that allow your partner to stimulate you virtually – those orgasms can turn out to be truly mind-blowing.
Make plans
So what if you can’t do stuff together? This social distancing isn’t going to last forever. Soon, you’ll be out and about again. Save yourselves from the perennial dilemma of ‘what to do next’ for the foreseeable future by using this time to make plans for the future. Create a detailed to-do list of restaurants and clubs you want to explore, zero-in on destinations for that first weekend getaway, and so on.
Get to know each other better
There is still a lot to explore about one another when you’ve just started dating. Make a fun game out of it – let’s call it Moment of Truth. Here’s how it works: you have a question on your mind, you send your partner a ‘moment of truth’ text alert followed by your question and they’re obligated to answer. They can follow it up with a question of their own or send it one at a time of their choosing, and you have to answer when it’s your turn. Let’s face it, it’s a lot easier to do this over text and it gives you the perfect window of opportunity to spot and navigate red flags if any.
Listen to music together
Introducing one another to your kind of music and finding common songs to hum together or groove to is an essential aspect of growing closer. Replace the good ol’ way of doing that while driving around in your car with creating a shared playlist where you both add songs of your choice and listen to them while showering, cooking or whenever else you fancy.
This should not only keep up the tempo in your love life but also build up a whole lot of anticipation enough to fire up the next few dates when you do get to see each other.
To protect the identity, the person in the picture is a model.
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Arushi Chaudhary is a freelance journalist and writer with 5 years of experience in print publications such as the Pune Mirror and Hindustan Times, and has spent close to a decade writing for digital platforms and print publications – The Tribune, BR International magazine, Make My Trip, Killer Features, The Money Times, and Home Review, to name a few. Of the many things she's written about over the years, exploring the space of love and relationships through the prism of psychology excites her the most. Writing is her first and forever love. You can find her on Twitter here.