Each new year, we dust ourselves off and start fresh. We consider what exactly we want our lives to look like in the 12 months ahead, and we set about making that a reality. As we prepare for 2021, there’s understandable anxiety in the air. The COVID pandemic continues to affect our lives to varying degrees. We’re still spending much of our time communicating through screens, with in-person dates running the gamut from “a bit risky” to “entirely off the table” depending on regional circumstances and personal preferences.

But it’s not all doom and gloom! Actually, what Bumble’s research shows is that many of you have embraced the last few months, spending time considering what you want out of a relationship.

“I think one of the wonderful things that I've really noticed about people dating during COVID is the fact that people are really slowing down,” says Jemma Ahmed, Bumble’s head of insights, who conducted research this fall on the effect of the pandemic on dating. “People want to build up more trust and know that that person is worth taking the risk for, if they're going to progress.”

Lockdowns and quarantines have allowed for greater self-reflection and a renewed emphasis on protecting our own mental health. “We don’t always have, or take, the time to sit down and think about our relationships with ourselves and with others,” says Dr. Amy Cirbus, psychologist and director of clinical content at online and mobile therapy company Talkspace. “Maybe this is a good time to reflect. Think about who it is that you want to connect with. Which of your relationships do you value, and why?”

The other good news? The period between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day — sometimes known as cuffing season, for better and worse — is the busiest time of year for online dating. The first Sunday of each new year (January 3, for 2021) is the peak day for dating apps, seeing the most folks swiping all year. This presents the Bumble community with an opportunity to make the sort of empowered, thoughtful choices about love, relationships, and dating that perhaps you didn’t take the time to consider in your frantic pre-pandemic lives.

“COVID's really given us a lot of time to think and to figure ourselves out,” says Ahmed. “People are really starting to take a lot more ownership of themselves and their dating journeys.”

You don’t need to take our word for it. Plenty of people have met on Bumble and started relationships at the height of the pandemic. We asked our community to submit their stories of love during lockdown, and were inundated with thousands of couples seeking to let us know that they found each other during this most strange of times.

“I was always on the go, so the pandemic forced me to be still,” says Lanae, one of the couples we’ve profiled here. “This provided the moment for me to finally to take a chance on love.”

“I wasn't looking to date initially,” says Nate, who matched with Lanae on Bumble, having noticed her smile and similar values. “The pandemic presented the best opportunity to get to know someone.”

For some, COVID’s forced relocations — to parents’ homes, out of cities — led to serendipitous matches as Bumblers swiped in new areas. “Shelby and I can say that if not for the pandemic and Bumble we would have not met,” says Marta, whose story can also be seen here. “He was living in Colorado and I was in NYC, but both of us relocated to Florida to be with family, staying for longer than anticipated. And the rest is history.” Meet these couples, get to know their stories, and feel hope for love in 2021.