Dating makes everybody feel uneasy, whether you’re 15 going out on your first date, or 35 trying out love the second time around, or 70 rejoining the dating scene along with your grandkids, it’s still the same story. We have these butterflies in our stomach that we just can ignore and the fright of rejection blending with the excitement that comes with it.
Don’t forget though, that hookup dating, after all, should be fun. It’s not like your whole existence depends on how successful your date was or wasn’t. The goal of a date is fairly clear: get to know a person and allow him/her to get to know you so you can both, later decide if you’re interested in spending any more time together. Nothing more, nothing less. A date is a date and if one date failed you, then there are many more fish in the sea that are willing to come to you. Don’t worry.
Put aside the notion that you’re out looking for a life partner or the father/mother of your children. If you set realistic expectations for the hookup dating, a lot of the anxiety surrounding it will vanish. Just be yourself and have fun.
So what are the rules of dating, you ask? They don’t exist. There are some guidelines, suggestions, and observations, but this whole experience is quite unpredictable, since it’s created by two unique persons. It’s indispensable to understand who you are and what you want (and therefore don’t want) so you don’t set yourself up for disaster. Remember, in the end, if you’re both having fun, you’ll want to do it again.
With dating comes each person’s individual style – you and your little quirks, which are going to change over time, at least a bit. Don’t date somebody else’s style…date your own…and you’ll probably need to do some fine-tuning to determine a style that’s all your own and with which you can feel absolutely comfortable.
Remember that the nicest thing about a date is that it’s just a date. It’s an opportunity, a time, a place, and a situation for one person to get to know another person. It’s not an invitation for sex or marriage, or to meet Mom, or to find someone to produce a child with, or to impress your friends, or to get your folks off your back, or to prove that you’re not a loner. Hookup dating is no big deal so go out and enjoy yourself!
Don’t forget though, that hookup dating, after all, should be fun. It’s not like your whole existence depends on how successful your date was or wasn’t. The goal of a date is fairly clear: get to know a person and allow him/her to get to know you so you can both, later decide if you’re interested in spending any more time together. Nothing more, nothing less. A date is a date and if one date failed you, then there are many more fish in the sea that are willing to come to you. Don’t worry.
Put aside the notion that you’re out looking for a life partner or the father/mother of your children. If you set realistic expectations for the hookup dating, a lot of the anxiety surrounding it will vanish. Just be yourself and have fun.
So what are the rules of dating, you ask? They don’t exist. There are some guidelines, suggestions, and observations, but this whole experience is quite unpredictable, since it’s created by two unique persons. It’s indispensable to understand who you are and what you want (and therefore don’t want) so you don’t set yourself up for disaster. Remember, in the end, if you’re both having fun, you’ll want to do it again.
With dating comes each person’s individual style – you and your little quirks, which are going to change over time, at least a bit. Don’t date somebody else’s style…date your own…and you’ll probably need to do some fine-tuning to determine a style that’s all your own and with which you can feel absolutely comfortable.
Remember that the nicest thing about a date is that it’s just a date. It’s an opportunity, a time, a place, and a situation for one person to get to know another person. It’s not an invitation for sex or marriage, or to meet Mom, or to find someone to produce a child with, or to impress your friends, or to get your folks off your back, or to prove that you’re not a loner. Hookup dating is no big deal so go out and enjoy yourself!