So many people genuinely want to start dating, but are reluctant to actually put themselves out there. Whether it’s because of fear of rejection or the allure of an evening in with a good book, favorite show, or a beloved pet, getting started dating when you’ve gotten comfortable being single can be a big hurdle. I don’t see dating success as a result of playing a numbers game, but it’s clear that if you don’t actively try to meet new people, you’ll never find the kind of relationship you want.
As the unofficial beginning of summer kicks off with Memorial Day weekend, it may be helpful to think of this as the start of your next dating season, too. Because believe it or not, a three-day weekend is the best time to date.
Of course, Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who we have lost to combat and war, but it is also one of the very few nationally recognized long weekends we get in the U.S. People tend to also take additional time off to enjoy good weather and time with friends and family. With an increase in invites to social engagements and gatherings that bring lots of different people together, you can begin constructing your new dating strategy, one that takes into account how much time and energy you actually have for dating.
Talk to strangers
More and more people want to meet potential partners “in the wild”, and that means making the most of any social time you get. An extra weekend day gives people enough free time to run any necessary errands and be refreshed enough to attend an event or two. Just getting together with people and starting to flex that muscle can be a good change of pace from staying in and being isolated. Besides helping to solidify existing relationships, socializing has health benefits like improving cognition, reducing stress, improving mood, and even increasing longevity.
You also don’t have to have a big social circle to reap these benefits. It’s easy to show up to a Memorial Day gathering and stick close to people you already know, but approaching the long weekend with the intention of expanding your social circle means that you’ll need to talk to a few new people. While you’re out, connecting with strangers can boost your odds of meeting someone you may want to date. This doesn’t have to happen directly, though it might. You can befriend someone who ends up inviting you to hang out with other people, which will widen your social circle. Meeting someone to date through friends is still a tried-and-true method, but it requires some effort on your part.
Refresh your apps
Dating apps are full of inactive profiles of people who tried and either were successfully matched with someone or let their accounts go dormant. This might even be you. If you’ve been curious about jumping back into dating, don’t just open the app and start swiping away; take a moment to look at your old profile and give it a refresh.
Read More: Cringe Is Part of Dating. Embrace It
Each time we decide to date, our goals may be different from the last time we tried. We may have thought we wanted one thing, gotten it, and learned it wasn’t right for us. Maybe you even have a new photo where you feel like your best self that you want to update!
If you return to dating apps, make sure that the person you present yourself to be aligns with how you want to date now. Think about what kind of relationship you are open to (casual, long-term, both) and how you would like to spend time with someone. Update your interests and absolutely include new photos of you enjoying your life. These updates will help make the matches you make more meaningful.
Do something you normally wouldn’t
During a long weekend, you have time to indulge in activities that maybe you’ve always wanted to try but never made time for. Thinking about these as ways you could meet new people is also a plus. In fact, if you’re not sure how to use this extra time and are prone to inertia when you don’t have a plan, consider signing up for an activity that will guarantee you will meet at least a handful of new people, like a team sport, a class, or a local cultural event.
If it’s in your budget to travel, go somewhere that sees an influx of people over the holiday. Bring a single friend or two so you can be each other’s wing person and focus on trying new things and having experiences that you can’t have back home.
If the thought of starting to date sounds a little daunting, you can focus on using the three-day weekend as a jump-off to being more social. You don’t have to go from staying in every night to scheduling five dates a week. You’ll find your stride and avoid burning out before the end of summer by doing things you love, trying something new, and widening your circle of friends. It’s amazing what one extra day off will do.