My dating matches were coming in fast. It seemed like there were so many cool guys using the app, so when they all wanted to meet up ASAP, I thought, “What the hell?” I had a date every night for a full week. Here are 10 things I learned about the process.
- It was really exhausting. By the third night, I was totally drained! I was tired of talking about myself and my childhood to every guy I was dating (yawn) and repeating my stories (double yawn). I was tired of doing my makeup and getting ready for dates.
- It made me stress less. Tiredness aside, I was actually getting better at dating. For example, when it came to those dreaded first date nerves, I wasn’t as stressed out by the third and fourth dates than I had been before the first date. By that time in the week, I was just like, “Whatever!” which was awesome.
- Having options was a good thing. I always used to think it was best to date just one person at a time and see what happens with them before dating someone else, but when it came to having a first date I realized that could have been faulty thinking. By having lots of dates in one week, I didn’t have to put so many expectations on just one of them. If one failed, I had six more to go on.
- It prevented me from overthinking things. One of the best things about dating a lot in seven days was that I stopped overthinking so much about the guys and if they liked me or not, mainly because I just didn’t have the time. By the time one date was over and I got home, I had to go to sleep and get ready for work the next day. After work, I’d meet another guy and start the process all over again without letting my thoughts and analyses get in the way.
- I learned shorter dates work best. I’ve always believed in the theory that you shouldn’t make your first date too long, and dating a lot of guys in one week proved that to me. Everyone’s different, but for me it worked because I didn’t get too attached to any guy too soon, plus keeping the coffee or dinner short meant that I could keep them interested for a second date.
- I actually had fun. Without all the stress of a first date weighing me down, I really started to relax into the process and enjoy myself. By the third night with the third guy, I was more aware of my surroundings and how beautiful the restaurant was. I was able to engage better and just have fun. I could laugh more, which also made the date more enjoyable. I guess this was because I was getting more used to dating a lot. It was great practice.
- It boosted my confidence. I’m not the most confident person, especially on a first date with someone. But by throwing myself into the situation of dating a lot, I managed to become more aware of my first-date behavior. I started to notice some patterns, such as how I didn’t like to talk about myself in favor of letting my date speak. After a few dates, I made a conscious effort to change that and I felt so much more confident and in control.
- I don’t think I could date so much all the time. I must admit that while there were some benefits to going on a lot of dates in one week, it really was exhausting. I also think that delaying thinking about the dates can only work for a short amount of time. Having some time alone to think about the guys and see which one is worth my time and which ones weren’t is important, otherwise everything gets confusing. Speaking of confusion…
- I got some guys mixed up. I really was built to be a one-man woman because after two dates with two different guys, I found myself battling to juggle more. During date number three, I thought the guy’s hobby was soccer but I was mixing him up with the second guy who’d told me that. Eek! It was hard to keep all the information straight.
- It showed me there are opportunities. I always used to think that there aren’t any good guys left on the dating scene, but that’s BS. By forcing myself to go on various dates in a short amount of time, it showed me that there definitely are dating opportunities out there. In fact, guy number four surprised me because he wasn’t my usual type but we hit it off best of all!
