HOW CAN I FIND MY FIRST GIRLFRIEND?

Dear Coleen

I really need some advice. I’m a 24-year-old guy and I’ve never had a girlfriend and don’t even have a lot of friends. I was wondering if you had any ideas on how I can change things for myself and, most importantly, how I can find someone special.

I’m feeling particularly lonely and cut off at the moment, and I don’t really know where to start.

Coleen says

The good news is, you’re very young and have plenty of time to find someone special. In fact, you’ll probably meet a few special women before you meet The One.

It’s tough for single people right now because there are very few options when it comes to dating. If you’ve never tried online dating, then I’d give it a whirl. I’m 55 and tried it myself over the lockdowns and, actually, I had a lot of fun and I did meet someone I clicked with.

And even if you don’t meet a partner, you might meet some friends and just enjoy the experience of connecting with people. You just have to be brave enough to take that first step and put yourself out there.

What’s the worst that can happen – you don’t meet a girlfriend, but you have a good time chatting to some nice women?

You might not have tons of friends and that’s OK – I have a fairly small circle of friends – but make the effort to speak to them or connect via social media.

It’s easy at the moment to cut yourself off from the outside world, so you have to really make an effort to reach out.

This situation won’t last forever, but perhaps you’ll feel more confident socially when restrictions are lifted if you make the effort now to connect with people.

Good luck.