Dear Michelle: Do I Tell My First Date That I'm A Widow?

To share or not to share? That is the question! We don't want to be that classic oversharer but when there is a pivotal piece of information that you feel they should know, how do you let them know?

Hey friends! Welcome to my monthly column ‘Dear Michelle’. I’ve always dreamed of being an agony aunt and having a column, so I created one myself! If you would like to ask me a question, then either leave it as a comment or email ‘inallhonesty@mindsetforlife.co.uk’. I love receiving voice notes so that I can include your voice in the voiceover but a written question also works too! The more context you can provide, the better and either include your name or make up a fun pseudonym. Do you remember how they used to end agony aunt queries with “Signed, Forever Obsessing” or something like that? Well, have fun with it! Throw any of life’s queries my way and let’s get you some answers

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Dear Michelle,

Thank you so much for your Instagram posts, I can’t tell you how much they have helped me in different parts of my life. I have a question about trauma and more specifically how to divulge trauma when you start to date. I’m a widow since a year back and I want to be mindful of when I actually share how this grief and trauma has changed me and what my needs are in a relationship. You know, not just throw it out on a first date, but I also want to be very honest that it is something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life and a potential partner has to at least be open to talking about it. So in my dating profile, I state that I am a widow but not very much more than that, but on the first date, what would you say might be the appropriate level, to keep it honest but not too private? Thank you so much again!

Lots of love,

The Dating Widow

Photo by René Ranisch on Unsplash