You’ve made it through the holiday season and into the New Year, a period of time that is often quite difficult for singles and online daters. All of that pressure to “find someone special” can make what are supposed to be happy times into depressed and unpleasant times.

But now it’s February and those dismal, depressed times should be long gone, right? Wrong! Just because the holidays are over does not mean online daters aren’t still feeling the winter blahs. It’s still getting dark early, the weather is still pretty crummy, and it’s still hard sometimes to find yourself looking for dates and feeling quite alone.

So what can you do to overcome these winter dating blahs? As it turns out, plenty!

Keep to a routine – Establish a routine and stick to it because this kind of structure has a positive effect on your mood. The best routines include regular exercise, healthy eating habits, and getting enough sleep each night.

Keep your friends close – The winter blahs are all about feeling a lack of energy, so fight them off by keeping in contact with your friends who energize you. Talk regularly on the phone, set up regular coffee or lunch dates, and make sure you have regular contact with those people who are most energizing and fun to be around.

Practice optimism – It’s easy to get “stuck” in negativity during the winter months; it’s too hard to find dates, the weather is too ugly to go outside, and the like. Remember, though, that the power of positive thinking and optimism are real. Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of what you’re feeling and experiencing, make a point of paying attention to the positive aspects of your life. It sounds silly, but it really does work.

Dating Essentials Depression, Friends, Holidays, Winter

So, where does that leave your new relationship?

Typically, this is the point of the year where couples bring home their significant others to meet the folks. And as a result, it’s a tense time of year, filled with arguing, discomfort, and often post-turkey breakups.

To avoid this kind of mood killer for your holiday, you have a few options.

• Go for it – That’s right, take your new online date to the table for turkey dinner. After all, you have a great story about how you met, assuming the dating site isn’t anything too risque.
• Go for part of it – If your family can handle it, take your date over for just a dessert plate. This way, your date will be able to meet everyone, without it being a full dinner situation.
• Go separately – If the relationship is still a little new, simply go your separate ways on this special day and commit to seeing and meeting the families at the next major holiday. No pressure, no tension – just more time to see if this person is truly someone you want to bring home.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Conversation Topics, Family Family, Food, Friends, Holidays, Relationships

It seems as though everyone has an online profile somewhere on the web. And for most of us, we’re actually on multiple networking sites – some for work, some for fun, and some with a mix of both of our needs.

Let’s look at two of the most popular – Facebook and MySpace.

Both of these sites have ways that you can proclaim your single-ness to the rest of the world, allowing you to have a free way to meet dates online. But is it really as effective as it might seem? Or are traditional dating sites the way to go?

Here are the pros of networking sites:

• They offer you a look into the personality of your date
• They can give you a sense of who they hang out with
• You can look at their profile before talking to them
• They’re free to use!

But here are the cons of using networking sites as dating sites:

• They can lead to long term issues with people bugging you for dates
• They can lure less than truthful people to your profile
• The security risk is higher

Just as with any website for dating, there are positives and negatives, so you need to weigh the risks before heading into the dating pool of these sites. But the good news? You don’t have to accept anyone as a friend until you’re completely sure you want them to be a friend.

Choose your friends wisely, and you might find your dating life spicing up.

Reviews Chat, Facebook, Friends, MySpace, Social Networking