Taking Advantage of the Holiday Rush
- Wednesday, November 23 2011 @ 03:34 pm
- Contributed by: Jet
- Views: 1,412
In the weeks leading up to and immediately following the winter holidays, it’s not unusual to see a spike in new people who are interested in giving online dating a whirl. It makes sense; the holidays leave them inundated with ads, movies, and messages that leave them reassessing their choices and re-evaluating their priorities. However, what few people realize is that the holidays are actually a pretty poor time to begin dating.
First of all, you might well meet someone new in the influx of fresh blood; whether you’ll be able to find a time to meet is another story. Holidays are full of prior obligations - to friends, family, even acquaintances we hardly ever see (hey, it can take hours to fill out all those greeting cards). With the first stirrings of snow and turkey decorations, you might feel a longing for someone special and fill out an online profile - and then be hard-pressed to find time to actually communicate with anyone for the next six weeks. Don’t be surprised if communication with someone new is spotty at best; they might be swamped for days, then have nothing to do for a week. And their level of ‘busy’ might be directly inverse with yours.
Secondly, the holidays are typically a time of family gatherings, whether you’re talking about a biological family or one comprised of people you’ve chosen. When you start dating over the holidays, it’s all the more likely that your date will be prematurely thrown into the family mix - dinners, football games, bonfires. Is your relationship ready to be scrutinized like a holiday parade?
Even just meeting for the first time during the holidays can be tricky. You or your date might be bloated and lethargic from too many turkey dinners, or frazzled from the holiday business rush. Whether or not they’re entirely self-created, there are often extra expectations over the holidays, leading to extra stress. It’s simply not a time when many people are at their best.
So what does this mean? Should you just postpone dating altogether until after the dust of fake snow has settled? Well, no, you don’t have to. The key to surviving dating during the holidays is the same as surviving the holidays in general: try to be flexible and keep an open mind. Understand the pressures you face, and realize that the people you’re communicating with are dealing with the same. Relaxation is the main weapon against the holiday frazzle; use it well, and you can use the influx of people new to the dating world to your advantage without becoming swamped in expectation yourself.
First of all, you might well meet someone new in the influx of fresh blood; whether you’ll be able to find a time to meet is another story. Holidays are full of prior obligations - to friends, family, even acquaintances we hardly ever see (hey, it can take hours to fill out all those greeting cards). With the first stirrings of snow and turkey decorations, you might feel a longing for someone special and fill out an online profile - and then be hard-pressed to find time to actually communicate with anyone for the next six weeks. Don’t be surprised if communication with someone new is spotty at best; they might be swamped for days, then have nothing to do for a week. And their level of ‘busy’ might be directly inverse with yours.
Secondly, the holidays are typically a time of family gatherings, whether you’re talking about a biological family or one comprised of people you’ve chosen. When you start dating over the holidays, it’s all the more likely that your date will be prematurely thrown into the family mix - dinners, football games, bonfires. Is your relationship ready to be scrutinized like a holiday parade?
Even just meeting for the first time during the holidays can be tricky. You or your date might be bloated and lethargic from too many turkey dinners, or frazzled from the holiday business rush. Whether or not they’re entirely self-created, there are often extra expectations over the holidays, leading to extra stress. It’s simply not a time when many people are at their best.
So what does this mean? Should you just postpone dating altogether until after the dust of fake snow has settled? Well, no, you don’t have to. The key to surviving dating during the holidays is the same as surviving the holidays in general: try to be flexible and keep an open mind. Understand the pressures you face, and realize that the people you’re communicating with are dealing with the same. Relaxation is the main weapon against the holiday frazzle; use it well, and you can use the influx of people new to the dating world to your advantage without becoming swamped in expectation yourself.
Subscribe
