Hosts Of Hit Podcast The Girls Bathroom Answer Your Valentine’s Day Dilemmas

Valentine’s Day is almost upon us, and it may be the most depressing celebration of love in living memory. Many of us are in relationships that have been severely tested by lockdown. Others have found a whole year of enforced singledom intolerable. But love always wins out, and Valentine’s Day isn’t going anywhere, with all its rollercoaster dilemmas. So Grazia turned to The Girls Bathroom, one of the country’s favourite relationship-based podcasts, to ask for their advice.

The Girls Bathroom, hosted by Nottingham-born friends Sophia Tuxford and Cinzia Baylis-Zullo, has become a must-listen for millions. After they teamed up to answer listener questions, they’ve topped the Spotify and iTunes charts. Give these reader problems a look: maybe they can help you too…

I'm in a long distance relationship which means we're both locked down in opposite ends of the country. We Facetime all the time and have even done virtual dinner dates but is there anything else we could do for Valentine's Day?

Ok. So the FaceTime dates sound great but let's take things up a notch for Valentine's Day.

We’re thinking your fave sexy dress, get the heels on, spray the perfume: real date night vibes. If you’re wanting to go all out for each other, send each other a little care package of all their favourite things i.e wine, chocolates, aftershave. You know the drill: just to make each other feel a little spoilt!

To finish the night, get cosy and take advantage of the Netflix Party feature! You guys can share your screens so you can both watch the same movie at the same time. Let’s hope he gets the memo and you wake up on the 14th to a special Sunday delivery.

I moved in with my boyfriend at the start of last year, then the pandemic hit and we've hardly seen anyone else. Whilst I adore him, are there any tips for making sure we don't get bored of each other?

We all know that moving in together is the notorious step in making or breaking a relationship, let alone during a pandemic. So, the fact that you both have made it this far shows that you’ve got something pretty special.

Granted, there will be some dull nights, but in an effort to keep things new and fun it might be worth suggesting a weekly date night. You could lay out an outfit for each other, have some drinks, get flirty and make it feel like you’re not in the same flat for the hundredth night in a row. Why not even hop on a Zoom with some friends or even another couple? Some virtual socialising is better than none.

I'm living with friends in a flatshare in London. We've become really great friends with the boys next door. I never wear any make-up (hello 2021) but I keep running into the same guy from next door, all the time. It doesn't matter if I'm going out for a run, coming back from a run, carrying too many bags of shopping or wearing the same hoodie for the last year - he always sees me. We always have a laugh when we see each other but I wonder if he'll ever think I'm attractive?

This is so fun. We wish we had a cute neighbour to flirt with in between our errands.

Ok so first things first, channel that inner Agatha Christie and find him online. That's what we’d do! Don’t be shy. Follow him, like a few of his pics, maybe even react to a story or two. We’re sure he’ll be returning the favour and sliding in your DMs. Mission accomplished! Now he can see all your IGs and maybe next time he catches you in the hallway, he’ll be helping you with those shopping bags!

Help - I hate Valentine's and everything to do with it! I've been both single and in a relationship around this time, how do I stop myself feeling overwhelmed with unrealistic expectations this year?

Look: Valentine's Day is just like any other day and it's not always as it seems on social media. Try not to feel pressured watching other people's extravagant V day plans, as you’re exactly where you’re meant to be in life right now. Stay in your own lane and just take this day for yourself. That’s what we’re going to do. We’re thinking face masks, ordering in our favourite pizza, rewatching Friends for the millionth time and sitting on FaceTime with our besties all night. Galentine's day is where it's at, and hot girl summer is just around the corner!

Before lockdown I had an on-off relationship with a guy that settled into what is essentially a mutually enjoyable Friend With Benefit situation. Naturally that was put on pause last year, but he’s been angling to revive things under the guise of social bubbling as he lives alone. How do I politely decline without jeopardising an arrangement that I want to maintain post-lockdown?

Lets face it: he’s not going anywhere! That being said, why not take him up on his offer? Some support bubble loving sounds like a pretty good way to kill the time to us. Still, we’ve been thriving off some single alone time, so we get it.

If you’re wanting to politely decline then keep things flirty, friendly and chill: it doesn’t have to be that deep. Let him know that you’re still keen to pick things back up where you left off, so he’s just going to have to practise some patience until Boris gives us the go ahead. We’re sure he will be counting down the days.

Listen to ‘The Girls Bathroom’ chart topping podcast across iTunes, Spotify and Google. New episodes available every Wednesday.

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