Everyone knows dating can be daunting especially the process of putting yourself out there and getting to know people.
While technology may be handy for a lot of things like finding information, it’s also useful for meeting people and establishing connections.
Here are 5 tips to help you survive online dating.
1. Make a list of a few things you’re looking for
Whether you’ve already got your profile up and running, or haven’t yet taken the plunge, take a step away from your screen. Set some time aside to think about you. What do you want from online dating?
This is more about what stage of life you’re both at and where you want to be. This wishlist will help you to define what you want and make it a smoother process to sort through the many matches and profiles.
2. Make sure your profile is up to date and reflects what you’re looking for
You’ve now put yourself out there into the world wide web which is the first step. But maybe you’re not getting as many matches or replies as you’d have liked. Perhaps the people you are getting matched with or replied by aren’t what you’re searching for either.
Read through your profile aloud and ask the question: would you want to date you? The most successful profiles tend to be straightforward and use positive language. You’ll come across as interesting and everyone who sees it will want to know more.
3. Start interacting
Once your profile is ready, it’s time to start talking to people. Avoid sending the same identical message to everyone and anyone, this happens too often on dating sites and you’re likely to be ignored. Pay attention to the details on profiles to work out hobbies, likes and dislikes. Show them that you’re interested by asking a question.
This may not seem like the most spontaneous or romantic approach, but if it gets results then what’s to lose?
4. Don’t stay online all day
It’s important that you realize being online all day won’t save your love life and you still need to go out. While it’s important to get to know your match before you meet, save the best conversation for the first date.
Try not to check your messages too regularly and plan a first date if you like them. If they’d rather keep things in the virtual world, then don’t compromise. Save yourself the time, energy and potential heartbreak by moving on.
5. Be forgiving on the first date
If everything’s gone to plan you’ll have secured yourself a date. Expectations are high. It’s not uncommon for stress get the better of you and affect the way you come across. In situations loaded with so much anticipation, people are rarely relaxed and find it difficult to be the best version of themselves.
Meeting new people, making real connections and going on fun and interesting dates are all part of the journey. Thinking about it this way will take the mounting pressure off finding “The One” and you’ll be able to relax, enjoy the experience and let the best version of you shine.
