Dating & Relationship Advice

Dating can be hard but one of the best bits, in my opinion, is sharing the ups and downs with other single friends. It makes the whole process more fun, less lonely and it keeps you accountable. Being able to support friends and be supported is a gift. It can be challenging however when you’re not going through the same ups and downs at the same time. How do we enjoy the journey together – celebrating, sympathising and everything in between – when everyone’s journey is different? How do you grow deeper and healthier friendships as you share your dating experiences?

Shared interests matter. Sometimes looking for a good match online can feel like searching for a tiny fish in a very big pond. Having faith in common is a given, but ideally you’d like to meet someone who shares – or at least appreciates – your hobbies and concerns too. It can feel a bit risky to add your likes to your profile – will there be anyone else who appreciates bird spotting or paddleboarding? But couples who’ve met through Christian Connection tell us time and time again how important it was to see favourite music, films and places, among other things. It was also a great way to break the ice in a first message.

Not so long ago, Going On A Date used to be a simple matter of choosing which café, pub, restaurant or film to go to. The list of options was limited, even if the company was the main attraction so it didn’t matter too much. While I love doing all these things, what strikes me these days is how much more opportunity there is to have varied and original experiences involving trying something new with no shortage of fun or quirky date ideas.
Meeting up is happening again and there’s lots to try and interesting things to invite someone to join you at. The good news is that the hospitality industry is super-keen to encourage business so there might be special deals on offer too. Here are six fun date ideas to try.

When you first start dating someone, they might seem almost perfect. In the first flush of love, that person appears to be exactly what you were looking for and it’s hard to imagine anything about them annoying you. Then you start to notice… maybe they chew loudly, pick their teeth after a meal, or spend hours scrolling on their phone. Perhaps these habits are on your list of non-negotiables when searching for love – or are suddenly added to the list! Or it might be that some annoying habits pop up early on and an otherwise interesting person is ruled out completely before you really get to know them. That can be part of a very natural selection process – one person’s annoyance is another person’s lovable quirk – but it could also damage a promising connection. So, what should you do?

Relationships, whether in the early ‘butterflies in the stomach’ phase, or twenty years down the line all require some effort to keep things exciting. Perhaps you’re just getting to know someone, and you don’t know if it will lead to your happily ever after, or you’re seeing someone exclusively and wondering how you can keep things ticking along nicely. Or you may be reading this and are just hoping for that someone to develop a spark with. Here are five fun tips on keeping the spark in a relationship.

Looking for love can be challenging. I know from my own experience and from speaking with my coaching clients that we can end up feeling disappointed and downhearted, hopeless even, ready to throw in the towel. If this is you, it might be time to reset your romantic life. A reset will look different for everyone but here are eight steps that might help you to feel optimistic again.

Dating is great when you both know where you’re at and what you ‘are’. Boundaries can be set, and you know and agree where you’re headed. Although some people may not like the idea of labels or awkward conversations about if or when to commit, it does help to set in black and white the status of your relationship, which then manages expectations. But the period before getting to that point can sometimes be muddy. It’s similar to going on a long trip – you’ll check the road map to get an idea of the journey, but diversions and traffic jams can cause some unexpected disruptions.

When you’re both on the same wavelength and united in where a relationship is headed, it’s easier to plan the journey; you may both know you want to get married (maybe to each other!), you’re unified in what you’re after, so let’s make it ‘official’. But how do you reach the point where you can talk about it or be headed in the same direction? How do you know when to move to the next stage? How do you know when to commit?

A bishop once said, “Your family are God’s gift to you.” A playwright once said, “Your friends are God’s way of apologising for your family.” I must admit at different times in my life I have felt both are true. Whatever your past experience of family life and family relationships — whether it’s been positive, negative, mixed, or barely there — when it comes to romantic relationships, it’s wise to think about the family factor: yours and your partner’s.