Dating for People Who Work the Night Shift

Work schedules can affect one’s personal life in several layers. And few people feel this impact more strongly than those working the night shift. Not only do they find that the dating pool is drastically limited but eventually feel disconnected from the world at large and end up in their own time. However with a few minor adjustments and a positive attitude, it is possible to socialize when you work the night shift and here are a few tips to get you going.

Know where to look

In the usual scheme of things, people work the whole day and then go out for recreation or leisure during late evenings. As a night shift worker though your hours are exactly the opposite – you need to be working just when people are milling into bars and nightclubs whereas you have time to spare during afternoons and early evenings. The most immediate consequence of this reversal of schedules is that the kind of singles you can meet is restricted to those who are about town during your free hours. And among these there are likely to be singles who work night shifts like you. So explore your own workplace for unattached men and women or if there are rules against dating someone from your own office, you can look for singles in other departments or other floors in your office building but keep the same hours. Students are another group who may be relatively free during afternoons and early evenings – so hang out at cafes and parks in and around college campuses and if you can manage half an hour at libraries, so much the better. Other than these air hostesses, nurses at hospitals, emergency services workers and those from the hospitality sector may be found working night shifts. Frequent pubs and cafes around such areas and you are likely to find some singles dropping over for a latte in the evening before heading for work. self-employed professionals are yet another group who have the flexibility to adjust their work and social lives.

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Go online

Even though there are a whole lot of sectors – ranging from hospitality to healthcare where someone or other is doing the night shift – the only problem is getting to meet them or come across such singles in the daytime. So one of the best things you can do to reach out to men and women like you is to go online. Look for dating sites which specifically cater to the relationship needs of singles working odd hour shifts and sign up.

How to find the time

Even if you have found yourself a potential partner, the physical limitations of working the night shift may stand in the way between you and an enjoyable date. You will not only be coming home at seven in the morning every day but are likely to crash out for the better part of the day. By the time you get up in the afternoon, there is food to be cooked and chores to be attended to – no matter how basic your living arrangements are. If you have a family, then this is also the only time you get to spend time with them or help them in some way before you get ready for your work again. However all is not lost and with a little bit of planning, you can find a couple of hours of leisure before you head for the workplace. Keep your early evenings free so that you can meet someone for coffee or a light snack and if lucky maybe you can fit in a movie show as well. Evenings are also a good time to explore your neighborhood park and while there, you may bump into a single brisk- walking or jogging like you. Ultimately you have to be willing to work at your social life on a regular basis and while you may be tempted to lounge a couple of more hours in bed, try and make an effort at getting up and going out. You can of course take advantage of your off days and hope that your date will be available. Try and talk your work schedule over with your date and see if you both can synchronize some of your time to go out together.

Get creative

Singles working night shifts often complain that they are stumped for date ideas; but this need not be so. You can do most of the things that other couples do on date nights except perhaps for things like music concerts and partying at nightclubs.

A lunch date is usually a great idea and what’s better is that you can make this as casual or as special as you wish. In fact there are certain date ideas which are possible only during the daytime, for instance browsing through museums and art galleries for culture lovers or visiting a nature park or the zoo for the outdoor couple. What’s more you can avail discounts at or at least enjoy greater privacy at most of the popular venues for night-time dates like movie theaters and restaurants that are impossibly crowded during late evenings. Even if you wish for a romantic date, a night under the stars is not the only option – you can just as easily have a date at the beach or on top of a hill and then hold hands with your date as you watch the sun sink down the horizon.

Follow a healthy lifestyle

Since working night shifts mean forcing changes in your biological clock, ensure that you take extra care of your body by following a healthy lifestyle. Eat nutritious home-cooked meals as far as possible and work out on a regular basis. Avoid gulping alcoholic drinks as you return home, no matter how exhausted you feel, since this will only increase your lethargy and leave you yawning if you have a date for the evening. Get adequate amount of sleep since no amount of energy drinks and caffeine can compensate for the rest that your body needs. Since you are not going out each evening for a date, you can try and balance the demands of your work and health on a reasonable basis.

If at all, you find it impossible to date with your night shifts, you can talk to your boss to see if you can get a daytime work schedule or even explore the possibility of getting another job. This will of course depend on the relative importance of your dating life vis-à-vis your work and finances.