You get back home from a date that went horribly wrong and all you can think of is, “I’m never dating again.” Dating can be stressful and really frustrating, but try to remember these things when you’re feeling fed up so you can dust yourself off and try again.
- It’s not always going to be bad. Maybe you’re going through a weird patch right now in which you’re meeting all the wrong people, but that can’t last forever. You’re going to have some good dates. It makes logical sense that you’ll have some bad and good days and you just have to ride the wave.
- You can still have fun. Dating is supposed to be fun and sometimes it’s really up to you to make it enjoyable. So what if you’re on a date with a guy and you know you don’t want to see him again? Enjoy the meal and conversation. It’s not always about finding someone to spend the rest of your life with or even someone to go home with.
- You can make some friends. Some of the guys you don’t click with might become your friends. Maybe you just weren’t supposed to be romantic partners, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have some awesome friendships. Open your mind to different possibilities.
- You can hit the eject button. One of the reasons why dating can be so stressful is because you feel that you can’t excuse yourself from a date when it starts to go south. This could be because you’re afraid of being rude, but why suffer through something if you’re just not feeling it? Why put so much stress on yourself? Enough of that!
- You don’t have to do any of it. You can get out of that date you had booked for Saturday night if you’re not in the mood to go. In fact, you don’t have to date for weeks, months, or even years. Heck, you never have to date again if that’s how you feel.
- You might be burning out. If you feel more irritable or down about dating lately, then maybe you really do need to take a break from it to prevent dating burnout. Dating will always be there when you decide to come back.
- You need to focus on yourself. If you’re stressed out by dating, there’s something wrong with it. Maybe you’re not in the right frame of mind to date right now, or maybe it’s just not working for you right now. That’s fine. The important thing is to listen to those feelings so that you can focus on what you need to be happy right now.
- You don’t need to date. Honestly, you might want to date and find a partner, but you don’t need a partner. Romantic love is not like oxygen that you’ll die without. It helps to remember this when dating becomes stressful so that you realize it’s not actually that important and you shouldn’t give so much of your energy to it.
- Your friends in relationships aren’t happy all the time. It’s easy to think that people who are in relationships are happier, but that’s not always true. Besides, in the same way that you have ups and downs as a single person, they’re also having their ups and downs. It’s part of life and good to remind yourself of so you don’t feel like you’re missing out on something better.
- Your life is thriving. You’ve got so much going for yourself. You’re kicking butt in your career, you’ve got amazing friends, you’ve got a wonderful and supportive family, you’ve got gorgeous pets, and so on. See how much you’ve got to be happy about? There’s probably loads more. Remembering the joy you already have in your life can help to bring perspective so you don’t focus too much on dating or make it freak you out.
- Be happy when you get rejected. Getting rejected by someone you really like can hurt like hell, but it’s not the end of your story. In fact, someday you might look back and be glad that you got rejected because it made you focus on what’s really important or helped you meet the right person. It sounds trite, but remember that things do happen for a reason, so you’ve just got to wait to see what that reason is. Chances are, it’s because something better’s on its way to you.
