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- While some of us may have the rest of our festive fun planned, there're a lot of lonely people.
- Some may find their eyes covered in Flings dust, eyes a little sore from watching one too many shows on Netflix and bracing themselves for another microwave dinner and perhaps a glass, well more like bottle of wine before calling it a night.
- Nothing wrong with it, if that's what you want for yourself. If not, now might be a good time to find love online.
A U.S. dating site, Match.com says that during the festive season, and more specifically, towards the end of December until the end of February, is peak time for online dating.
According to USA Today, around the festive or "peak online dating season" approximately 50 million messages are sent on the dating platform and 1 million dates start taking place. Match also apparently sees an increase of 42% singles joining the site looking for love or perhaps just to escape the "all alone on Christmas" feeling every year this time.
READ MORE: Cushioning – and other dating trend behaviours you might be guilty of
You know what that means?
While online dating can be daunting it can also be fun to get to know new people and discover things that you didn't know about yourself.
If you're nervous but looking to join the digital dating scene, here are some tips from relationship expert Shanon Lee.
READ MORE: "I was scammed out of R8300 after being seduced on Tinder"
1. Always be wary of people you meet online who ask you to send money for anything, no matter the amount, stop all communication and save yourself from heartbreak and being scammed.
2. Never meet anyone in an isolated area. Make sure you're in a public space and that you've notified a friend about your plans giving them as much details about the person you're meeting as possible (registration, home address, cellphone number etc) and where you're meeting.
3. Be as honest as possible in your profile, especially if you're looking to build a serious relationship. Even that little white lie could end up complicating things in the long run.
4. Expect the person to be 50% less attractive than their profile depicts. This is the best way to avoid disappointment and if it turns out their profile was quite accurate then you can count your blessings.
5. Have fun, don't be anxious and remember, online dating is not the only way to meet someone. Go out there and expose yourself to new places and experiences where you are likely to meet someone you'd like.
BONUS TIP: Seeing as the second wave of Covid is upon us, why not try a Zoom date and see how that goes, at worst you'll remain single but you would have explored the new normal of dating and hopefully enjoyed the experience.
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