Is there ever a right time to start dating again?

As widows, we face many dilemmas and question literally everything in life! Our reason for being? The meaning of life? Why me? And, once the raw initial grief and shockwaves have subsided widows and widowers naturally consider what the future hold. 

Having suffered incredible heart-breaking loss, we even question whether we even deserve joy again.

Our late spouses would not want to see us suffering alone and they would want us to navigate a way forward that brings not only joy but also comfort, be that friendship, companionship, or a relationship.

My experience of losing my husband in my 40s led me to meet many widows in their 30s, 40s and 50s who faced a future of 30 or 40 years alone. Having loved once the need to love again is inevitable. 

As human beings, we are designed to build meaningful, exclusive relationships. Dare I say, we want to find a life partner, a soul mate – being alone is not part of our DNA. At Chapter 2 we believe you can have more than one loving relationship and more than one soulmate.

 

So ‘When is the right time to start dating again?’

We undertook a survey with our subscribers and asked the question ‘When is the right time to start dating again? Over 60% of participants answered 2 years or less, and on average men started dating more quickly than women.

Chapter 2 has no definitive answer to when, but we do believe that you deserve and will find a future relationship that does not disrespect what you had, that doesn’t ask you to forget, and that means moving forward, not moving on. 

We think you need to ‘trust your gut,’ only you will really know when you are ready, and Chapter 2 offers no judgment on this time.

 

When are you ready?

When the time is right for you, we do, however, given you may feel lonely and vulnerable, recommend that you proceed with caution. You may initially want to keep the fact you are contemplating dating or dating again confidential. 

We understand for friends and family your moving forward can be a struggle, which means you won’t want your profile available and accessible to the wider public.

Chapter 2 is a safe space; membership is only available to widows and widowers who ‘get it’. Chapter 2 is rather an exclusive club that not one of us would choose to join but is a community that understands how to support you whilst you make those first tentative steps forwards, towards joy again. 

For widows, communication with one another is an emotional shorthand that includes an unwritten and unseen understanding, and we are in this together.

 

When is the right time to start dating again? 

The time is right when you think it is. It could be the time for you is now, it might be a few weeks away or even a point on your horizon, whenever your time is right Chapter 2 is waiting to help you seize the day and take the next step!