Chances are if you’re reading this then you feel pretty lost in the world of dating. Maybe it’s just that you want to brush up on your skills a bit; maybe it’s that you feel like you never had any skills in the first place. No matter what your current level of skill is, the first thing to do is consider what has and has not worked in the past. How did you rope in your last partner? What have you been complimented on in the past? A certain shirt? Specific cologne? Your smile? Your jokes? Make a list of these things both to give you some last-minute courage at the beginning of a date as well as s sort-of checklist for your date preparation. Keep reading for more preparation skills to get you prepared for re-entry into the dating world.
Practice Your Dating Skills
While making a list of features and skills of which you’re confident and proud, stories you know are funny, and things to make sure you do before you leave the house (brush your teeth, put on deodorant, check your fly), is great, it’s not enough. You can read books on love, talk to friends, or watch all of the romantic TV shows and movies you want, but what’s going to matter most when it comes time for that big date is how much practice you put in. This practice can take several forms. One option is to practice with your friends. Let your friends know you’re re-entering the dating world and ask them to have conversations with you as if you two are on a date. Get their feedback on what worked and what didn’t, how you can improve, and what questions you totally forgot to ask. Another option is practicing with strangers online. With this option you can build up your dating skills slowly by first chatting through text-only messages, then maybe messages and pictures, and finally video chatting. This option offers less feedback than your friends would (unless this is a website specifically for learning dating skills), but it still gives you the chance to practice. A third option is to go on “practice dates.” These are dates with individuals that you are not particularly interested in but rather just using for the sake of learning how to be better at dating. This option, like the chat rooms, does not offer much feedback, and it comes with a whole mess of moral dilemmas as well. A final option is practicing with an escort. Keep reading for more on this final option.