Holly Barry | Dating Agency Group Blog

Finding Love Without Dating Apps

Social Dating
Image Copyright © Holly Barry

Do you remember life before smartphones? Gone are the days where we looked forwards, rather than down at our phones all day. Nowadays, our smartphones reach into every aspect of our lives, from paying our bills and arranging our weekly grocery delivery to finding love and romance via online dating apps.

Whilst online dating seems, on the face of it, to offer the perfect solution to the age-old problem of finding true love, in reality things are often very different. With a seemingly endless supply of potential new dates available through dating apps, it’s all too easy to fall into a ‘click and go’ mind-set, where we never really give a date time to develop into something more, before we are scanning for the next potential candidate. If we’re honest, how many of us have met someone via a dating app, and then spent half the first date checking online, to see if other ‘possibles’ have arrived in our dating inbox?

Have dating apps had their day? Is there a better way to meet genuine people? Why not ditch the smartphone and try these four suggestions for finding love the real way?

Take Risks
Ever considered that the reason you haven’t found your special someone might just be because you play everything too safe? Step out of that comfort zone and you could find success in your dating endeavours. Try dating someone who you’d normally not consider, say yes to a wild and wacky date location or just pluck up the courage to pass your phone number to that nice guy you see on the way to work each morning. Of course, it’s true that taking risks and injecting a little spontaneity into your life means you might end up disappointed or facing rejection, but you might also find that things really go your way and you release a whole new you!

Volunteer Abroad
People volunteer to work abroad for all sorts of reasons, and whilst many people perhaps wouldn’t expect to find romance on a volunteering trip, it is actually fairly common to do just that. Stepping out of your comfort zone and immersing yourself in a new and exciting experience in a far-flung location puts you in the right frame of mind for meeting new people. You’re surrounded by like-minded people, who share your passion for adventure and helping others, so the chances are high that you will find someone special in amongst your fellow volunteers. With no mobile signal in these remote volunteering locations, there really is no excuse for not trying to make friends or find romance.

Join The Gym
It might be a bit of a cliché, but the gym is actually a brilliant place to meet someone new. Exercise boosts positivity, and will help you to be upbeat and confident when talking to that certain someone you meet in the spin class or the weights room. Of course, the golden rule for finding romance at the gym is to leave your phone in your locker. You might enjoy listening to your favourite tunes whilst pounding along on the treadmill, but those earphones will kill the chances of any conversation, so ditch them and start chatting instead.

Get Social
We’re not talking about social media here, but actually making an effort to get out and about socially. Learn to say yes to invitations, and you’ll soon find yourself meeting lots more people, some of whom might appeal to you romantically. If you routinely cry off from the office drinks on a Friday night, or you keep postponing a night out with mates, try saying yes to these instead, and see what happens. At the very least, you’ll be chatting and mingling with others, which can actively improve your social skills, and you never know just who you might meet when you’re waiting at the bar to get the next round in.

Matchmaker
Another alternative route which avoids the digital screen of a mobile phone would be exploring the route of a matchmaker… If you are truly fed up of dead-end dating, a matchmaker will spend their time assessing your needs and wants to find a match who compliments your every want and desires in a partner.

Visiting a matchmaker is considered a more direct route to finding love, without the messy awkwardness in between. When the timing is right, you will be paired with a partner who shares the same skills, drive and interests as yourself, so that you are able to talk all night long without having to make that risky phone call to your friend to help bail you out of yet another disastrous dating scenario.

If you’re serious about stepping up your romantic efforts and finding that special someone, it might be time to mute that mobile and reinvent yourself as a real-world social superstar. With a little effort and a bit of courage, romance could, quite literally, be just around the corner.

Article by Holly Barry

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