Coping With Dating After the Death of a Loved One

Thinking about dating after the death of a loved one can be a mixed bag of emotions and it’s only natural to have feelings of betrayal and guilt, not to mention the worry of what your family might think. So if you’ve lost a partner and you’re thinking about dating again here are a few tips to help you along the way;

How long should I wait before I start dating?

No one can place a time on when you will feel ready to start dating again – only you can know; it may be months or it may be years. No matter how long you choose to wait, don’t let others pressure you in to doing anything you’re not ready for and likewise, don’t let anyone judge you for moving on.

Why do I feel guilty about dating?

It’s only natural to feel a little guilty at first. However, you can’t put the rest of your life on hold and the truth is, you deserve to be happy. If you start dating and can’t shake your feelings of guilt perhaps just take a break for a while until you’re ready.

Is online dating right for me?

Online dating is not only a great way to ease yourself back in to dating but it’s also a great way great way to meet thousands of like-minded individuals at the click of a button. You’re in complete control of your experience which means you can start out by looking for friendship if you’re not ready to go straight in to dating. Browse profiles, find matches and date at your own pace in a safe and relaxed environment.

Can I meet other Widows online?

You’ll find all sorts of people from all kinds of backgrounds on online dating sites. That includes people who are divorced, separated and of course, widowed. The Senior Dating Agency allows you to search for other members by relationship status, which means you can search for people who are also widowed if you’d like to.

Is it ok to talk about my deceased partner?

Your deceased partner was a big part of your life and so it’s normal to want to talk about them – especially when you’re getting to know someone new and they are curious about your relationship history. However, try not to spend too long dwelling on the past and try to look to your future. While that person will always be important to you, this is a new chapter of your life and so it’s important to move forward.

What if I’ve forgotten how to date?

If you’ve not dated in a long time it’s easy to feel like you’re out of practice. However, the word ‘date’ can sometimes make the whole thing feel a lot scary than it needs to be. If you find someone you like the look of and you start talking to them online, it won’t hurt to ask them if they fancy meeting up for a coffee and a chat. Suggesting a meeting in a relaxed environment like a coffee shop should help you to feel at ease, as if you’re just meeting with a friend. Once you’ve been on one date you’ll be surprised by how fast you pick things up and probably by how much you enjoyed yourself.

There are thousands of members on The Senior Dating Agency all looking to meet that special someone for friendship, companionship and love. So if you’re widowed but feel ready to ‘get back out there’ and start meeting new people, why not sign up to The Senior Dating Agency today and take a look around.

Alternatively, if you’re already a member, why not log in to your account and put some of our advice to the test. You never know, great things could be waiting for you.

What’s On: English Tourism Week

As it’s English Tourism Week and we love a good ‘staycation’, we thought we would suggest three places that are perfect for a date. Have a look below and see what takes your fancy, then simply log in and find your date!

Kenilworth Castle – Best known as the home of Robert Dudley, the great love of Queen Elizabeth I, Kenilworth Castle is one of the most spectacular ruined castles in Britain. With its authentically recreated Elizabethan Garden you can now follow in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth I and create your own romance!

Burgh Island – An isolated tidal island situated along South Devon’s Riviera, it’s dominating feature is a unique English Art Deco hotel restored to its 1930’s glory days. After taking in all the fresh air and costal beauty; cocktails, cream teas and champagne are on the menu! Invite that special someone to experience England’s version of Long Island and ‘The Great Gatsby’.

Tintagel Castle – Standing on the cliffs of the Cornish Coast, Tintagel Castle has inspired many a romantic legend. With its dramatic coastline and mythical stories it has been voted English Heritage’s “most romantic site”. You’ll get wrapped up in the tales and beauty, so all you’ll need is a date to get wrapped up with too!

So what are you waiting for? Let some of England’s most beautiful landmarks provide the perfect backdrop to your date! Sign up to The Senior Dating Agency today or log in to your account and see who fancies taking in some of England’s beauty.

3 Online Dating Mistakes Not to Make

You may be thinking about joining an online dating service or you may have just created an account, either way it’s important that you get off to a great start. With that in mind here are our 3 online dating mistakes not to make. Get these right and you never know, you could well become an online dating pro!

Having no photo: Adding a photo to your online dating profile can seem like the scariest part, but, like it or not, having a photo on your profile is very important. First and foremost, when people search for others online they tend to click the ‘has a photo’ option; so, if you don’t have a photo you’re automatically decreasing your chances of being found by the right person. Secondly, and for good reason, people like to know who they are talking to.

Here a some guidelines to follow when thinking about your photo(s):

• Use a head shot for your main photo: Ideally your main profile photo should be a clear, head and shoulders shot of yourself. This is the first thing that people will notice about your profile so it’s worth investing a little time and getting right. If you haven’t got one, then take one.

• Make sure your photo is recent: Your online photo should be a genuine representation of you – as you are now, not 10 years ago. That means that all of your photos should be recent and taken within the last year.

• Add more than one: Having one photo on your profile is great however, one photo isn’t really enough to show off your personality.  You can upload up to 10 photos to your profile on The Senior Dating Agency so why not use these to show off your hobbies and interests. Remember, people want to know more about you and your photos are a great way to do that.

• Smile: This isn’t a passport photo and remember, you’re trying to find yourself a partner. So relax, look friendly and remember to smile.

Taking rejection personally: With dating comes an element of ‘rejection’. It’s a horrible word but it’s a fact of life and happens, or has happened, to us all at some point. However, the most important thing to remember is to not take it personally. If you’ve messaged someone and they’ve not got back to you it could be for a whole host of reasons. So before you go writing yourself off and giving up on finding that someone special altogether, consider the reasons that someone may not reply; they could be talking to someone else and so the timing isn’t right; they might still be in basic member in which case, they can’t message back yet; or they might just think you live too far away. So don’t beat yourself up about it and don’t waste your time questioning what’s wrong with you. Instead, invest your time in messaging those who have replied to you.

Thinking it will happen overnight: Many people think that online dating is a ‘fast-track way to love’ and so when they haven’t met their soul mate after a few days they tend to write online dating off altogether. However, online dating really is no different to any other kind of dating. It requires time, effort and perseverance. Don’t expect anything to happen overnight and in the same respect, don’t give up hope after a few bad dates.  Be realistic in your search and remember, the best things come to those who wait!

By following these simple rules you’re sure to avoid making some of the most common mistakes that online daters make. Head over to The Senior Dating Agency now and put these tips to the test.

Mature Dating: Member of the month

Meet Susan, The Senior Dating Agency’s member of the month. Susan describes herself as adventurous, saying she will have a go at most things; enthusiastic, she loves to laugh and make others laugh; sensitive and reflective, enjoying quiet time as well as fun times; and very romantic. She’s passionate about music, from classical to country to opera; fairly intelligent (although does confess to having her ‘blonde’ moments) and is currently learning Italian. On top of this, Susan enjoys socialising with friends and family for drinks, meals, laughter; meeting and talking to people, learning about life, being outdoors, reading and having quiet time.

Her favourite things would be music, starry nights, cosy fires, dogs, warm sunny days, swimming in rocky coves, the ocean and exploring new places – just to name a few!

Susan is looking to meet someone who is fun to be with, to tease and laugh with, someone who loves music, but most importantly, someone who feels he has a lot of living to do.

We think Susan sounds great and you’d be a fool not to message her! So if you think you’d have a connection with Susan, and that you’ve got what she’s looking for, why not log in to your account and get in touch. Alternatively, if you’re not yet a member of The Senior Dating Agency, why not join for free today and take a closer look at Susan’s fantastic profile! We have a feeling you’ll love it!

Why It’s Never Too Late to Find Love

If you’ve been single for a long time it can be all too easy to write love off, thinking that you’ll never find happiness with another person again. You know it exists because you see it around you in people who are in happy relationships; family, friends, people on TV, in magazines and online. The problem is, you just can’t seem to find it for yourself which is why you’re ready to give up.

However, the potential to find love is just as likely for you as it is for anyone else; no matter what your age, background or relationship history. In fact, it’s never too late to find love and here’s why…

Endless possibilities: Never underestimate the potential for the unexpected to happen. We all wake up each day thinking we have a pretty good idea about how our day is going to pan out. However, the truth is we never know what is ahead and for that reason, we can’t be down about what we expect will happen – the not falling in love part. So just because you haven’t found love yet doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. It could be just waiting to happen; standing patiently in the coffee shop queue, looking online or waiting just around the corner.

Positive thinking: Positivity breeds positivity. It really is as simple as that. Likewise, your attitude and outlook on finding love directly affects how your search turns out. Think of it this way; someone who believes they are unlucky in love or will never find love again will more than likely give up looking altogether because, well, what’s the point? On the other hand; someone who believes that anything could happen and really squeezes the most out of everyday is more likely to open themselves up to new opportunities and situations.

Lessons in love: Chances are, if you’re single, you’ve had past relationships and for whatever reason they’ve not worked out. That isn’t a reflection of you, that’s just a sign that you weren’t with the right person. Start viewing ‘failed’ relationships as lessons.; they teach you what you don’t want, what’s important to you and more importantly, they teach you about yourself. Every lesson learnt makes you more ready to love again.

Timing: When you reach your later years you find you’re the most confident version of yourself. You’ve had experiences, relationships, failed relationships, learnt life lessons and probably know more about yourself than you ever have. You might have raised your children, had the career you dreamed of and achieved a lot of the things you wanted to in your life. However, you’re now at the perfect time to be investing in you, thinking about what makes you happy and going out there and grabbing it with both hands.

With The Senior Dating Agency, love is always at your fingertips. It’s completely free to join and take a look around, so why not sign up today and take a look around. Alternatively, log in to your account and start connecting with like-minded singles looking for love.

2013 Dating Resolutions Worth Keeping

Today (10th January) is the day that we are most likely to break out New Years resolutions (with the most popular resolutions this year being related to physical or emotional wellbeing according to allabouthealth.org.uk). That’s only 9 days after making them! Doesn’t say much for our willpower does it?

If you’re struggling with your New Years resolutions, or you’ve given up on yours already, why not take a look at our dating resolutions that are sure to make you a better dater in 2013. By taking our advice and making some changes to the way you date, you’re likely to be making some positive changes for your physical and emotional well being too. We think they’re worth keeping!

Let go of any baggage – This year let go of any bad feelings you’ve been harbouring from past relationships. We’ve all got history of some kind whether it’s an ex partner, a messy divorce, or feelings that you can’t seem to shift. However, now is the time to put anything that has happened previously down to experience, and learn from it. Stop wasting time on old feelings and this year, remember to ‘love like you’ve never been hurt’.

Change your outlook – If you’ve been single for a while it can be all too easy to have a ‘poor old me’ attitude. However, just because you haven’t got a partner doesn’t mean you’re any less attractive, successful or deserving than anyone else. So change your outlook from negative to positive because when you take the steps to be the most happy version of yourself, you will be in the right place, personally, to find the perfect companion.

Take up a new hobby – If you’re passionate about something or fancy learning a new skill then the New Year is the perfect time. By taking up a new hobby or enrolling in a class you’ll not only be doing something you love, but you’ll also have the opportunity to meet lots of new people. Best of all, if you do meet anyone you’ll already have one thing in common.

Change your routine – It may sound silly but even making small changes to your daily routine could lead to new love. Think about it; if you take the same route to town every day, visit them same coffee house and mingle in the same social circles, you’re probably going to meet the same types of people. However, by making simple changes to your routine you’re effectively changing the types of people you’re coming in contact with and you never know, you might just meet the person of your dreams.

Say ‘Yes’ to more dates – Sometimes we dismiss people too easily because they haven’t got the right look, we don’t have enough things in common with them or simply because we’re too scared to put ourselves out there. However, if you’re serious about finding someone maybe it’s time to let go of your ‘type’, stop thinking of reasons why you can’t date someone and just say yes. The more dates you go on the more you’ll realise exactly what it is you do want. Besides, you’ll have lots of fun along the way.

Get online – If you put your love life on hold last year because you were too busy with other things then why not make this year the year for finding love. Online dating makes it so much easier to broaden your horizons, meet new people and find exactly what it is you’re looking for. You can browse, find and chat to other singles from the comfort and safety of your own home so there really is no excuse.

So what are you waiting for? It’s not too late to make some new resolutions for a better year ahead. Who knows what could happen in 2013?

 

Thanks Senior Dating Agency. You’re a winner..

It’s always great to hear back from our members who have left the site because they found exactly what they came here looking for. Colin and Susan are no exception and when they got in touch with us to let us know about their success,we were so over the moon for them, that we wanted to share it with you too. So, without further ado it’s over to Colin and Susan to share their story.

“We are truly blessed to have found each other through your brilliant website. We’re like minded souls though we definitely aren’t clones and have our own minds. Susan was brave enough to contact me after reading one of my dating diaries (which is definitely the magic of the site). At first Susan was apprehensive about meeting up with me as I was in South London and she lived several miles north of London and was also already well underway to planning to move to Norfolk. I could see that there was something special already brewing that was too good to let go. I could see opportunities and explained that I worked only a few miles from where she lived, as a IT Engineer, and fairly close to where she worked too as a mobile physio-therapist. As her moving to Norfolk, my parents lived in Norfolk too so all is not lost.

She too is a possibility thinker like me and soon we had arranged to meet after work for a meal. Not surprisingly we got on very well without any awkward silences or nervous laughter. I think here again the dating diaries and the excellent profiles we’d written help as we felt we knew each other already from just reading them beforehand.

We arranged to meet the following week as stupidly we thought that was the “done thing” to have to wait a while and not appear too eager, but in the end we could see no reason to wait that long if we’d got on so well and so changed the arrangement to another date as soon as possible.

To cut a long story short, we have been almost inseparable since our second meeting and very quick on a trip to Norfolk Susan was to meet my parents which was brilliant and so natural and they too adore her and welcome her with open arms.

We have many plans for a great future together. Both of us had come out of difficult past relationships but fortunately with both of us having positive energy that resonates between us we feel that together we can overcome anything that comes our way.

Thanks Senior Dating Agency. You’re a winner…”