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Take Dick Richards’ Dating Quiz to find out!

Dating Fatigue: It’s more regular than the common flu and can affect us for years. It can influence our moods and our outlook on what our future could look like, and it can keep us isolated.

What feelings come to mind when I say ‘dating’ or ‘the dating scene’ or ‘how’s the love life?’ Do you get filled with an exuberant sense of excitement? Or are you hit with a wave of disappointment and negativity? If it’s the latter, you might be experiencing dating fatigue.

What is ‘dating fatigue’? An extreme sense of tiredness and a lack of motivation when it comes to dating.

Sound familiar?

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Dating should be one thing and one thing only: fun! It should be something that gets your blood rushing – and not just to your groin. Ideally, dating should be as fun as going overseas and experiencing a new city, its culture and its customs. When you do something in a new city, there’s a sense of anticipation and exhilaration, and if that experience isn’t what you thought it would be, it’s fine because you’re in Japan or Greece, and there’s something else you can do. Dating is the same. Just been on a bad date? No worries! You’ve hopefully learned something about people or yourself, and that’s never a bad thing.

If you get to the point where the idea of going on dates feels as exciting as doing laundry, dishes or vacuuming, then it’s probably time to stop. It shouldn’t be a burden, boring or bothersome.

Here are some important questions to ask yourself:

  • What’s your dating state of mind?
  • Are you in a good space mentally to meet people and be your authentic self?
  • What are your parameters when it comes to dating and a partner?
  • Are you actually ready to be vulnerable?
  • Are you looking for a sex doll with a personality you’ve created?
  • Or are you willing to be surprised?

No one will ever be your ‘perfect’ or ‘ideal’ man. You’re never going to meet the guy you’ve created in your head. It’s impossible to live up to, and you’re setting yourself up for disappointment and ultimately wasting yours and the other person’s time. Instead, take the time to pause and reflect and just focus on yourself.

My number one rule for dates is not to be confined by a checklist. Otherwise, you’re creating your own lonely prison that will inevitably leave you forever single. You are worthy of so much more. You have to be willing to compromise.

Openness is key – open to meeting different types of people. Put your prejudice and judgment aside. Don’t ignore your core values. It’s okay to have a type, but if someone doesn’t measure up on first interaction, don’t give up so easily. Humans are layered – we never fully expose ourselves on a first meet. The ones that do, well… red flag!

Dating is an opportunity to try something new, meet new people, explore different opportunities and, most importantly, learn. If you’re not up for that, it’s okay. That just means it’s not the time. Figuring out what you want and need is never a bad thing. It’s an opportunity to become more whole. Not a hole.

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