The first wave of the pandemic saw a lot of changes happening around the world. From Zoom conferences being the new way of attending classes, to working from home or even getting your food and groceries delivered to your doorstep, we've all been forced to make some pretty drastic changes to our lifestyle.
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But most interestingly, and perhaps even detrimentally, the way in which a lot of us have gone about forming meaningful relationships have taken a turn that experts are saying is ruining our love life.
A dating trend that will only hurt us in the long run
This new dating trend, being called 'apocalypsing', has seen many romantic relationships being formed at light speed in order to suppress the inherent human fear of loneliness.
According to the dating app Plenty of Fish, which polled more than 2000 singles, people were treating potential dating matches as if it were their last and thus precipitated partnerships at the expense of fostering genuine connections.
Danielle Forshee, expert psychologist and marriage therapist believes that:
Because of COVID, we’re in a scenario where we’re being told to not have human contactand physical touch, and that takes away our ability to have the emotional and physical connections that we as humans require.
This has caused us to mistakenly believe that we've developed an affinity for someone faster than we typically would have. At best, this has allowed some to brave loneliness together. At worst, this only makes one settle for someone they would have otherwise written off and, in turn, rendering that selected match a means towards an end.
When we touch each other for 15 seconds or more, whether we’re hugging each other, kissing, putting our hand on someone’s shoulder or leg, it releases oxytocin, the hormone our body releases that makes us feel attached and gives us connected, loving feelings.
Alternative ways of coping with loneliness
A better way of going about battling solitary angst is to create digital moments with friends and family in which you can continue growing these more meaningful relationships that preceded COVID.
When you lean on close ones that you know you can fully trust and be your authentic self with, you can get the emotional support that you need without having to use someone you've just met to get a temporary fix.
This, in the long haul, will only help your preexisting relationships become stronger. When the time comes where we can start dating at a more reasonable pace, we will be more appreciative when we do meet the right person for us.
