Tell us about yourself and your work
Lingerfelt has a BA in Family Counseling from Auburn University. His blog on relationships at JamesRussell.org has received 6M views since 2012.
What would you say makes your dating/relationship expertise unique?
I’m very passionate about communicating to people that they must be their authentic selves if they want to attract an appropriate mate. If I am my true self, and someone is attracted to that, it’s real. If I’m trying to be someone else or misrepresenting who I am, I may win that person in the short term, but they’ll leave in the long term because they’ll realize we’re not a good fit.
With so many people struggling to date and start relationships because lockdown induced isolation, what three things would you give to singles during this time?
The three things I would give to singles during this time are the following:
They can participate in all sorts of things online. They can watch a TV series together and talk about it, they can participate in online games. Here’s even a list of 36 questions they can ask each other to get to know each other better, and let that spur other conversations and events to participate in: https://jamesrussell.org/blogs/love-story-from-the-male-perspective–2/posts/36-questions-that-will-increase-intimacy-with-your-partner
I would try to see each other in person as much as they can, and go places where social distancing is acceptable. Many places now allow visitation as long as people are keeping a 6 feet distance. There’s only so long a healthy relationship can last without touching and interacting in person.
