People take time off from dating for any number of reasons. Whether it’s recovering from the loss of a spouse or healing from a toxic relationship, taking a breather helps. But when you’re finally ready to rejoin the dating world, you might find yourself out of practice or unsure of what you’re doing.

Terrified of what awaits? Don’t worry – you’re not alone! Read below for a step-by-step guide to getting back out there!

Evaluate Your Emotions

Before you start dating again, you’ll need to sort out what you need from a partner, what kinds of behaviors make you happy in a relationship, and how your own quirks play into getting all you want.

Once you’re ready to approach new people from a solid personal foundation, it’s still normal to be a bit nervous! Here are some tips and tricks on how to get back into the game and start dating again.

Rejoin the Dating World

Face to Face

An in-person date might be intimidating at first. Consider going to a movie, arcade, or entertaining place to get comfortable talking where there’s plenty of interesting, non-personal stuff to discuss. Once you feel more comfortable there’s enough to talk about, you can chat more openly, over a romantic dinner or coffee!

Online

You may not be ready to start dating again in-person. That’s okay! There are all kinds of dating apps out there that can help you ease that transition back into dating. You may even find someone you enjoy talking with a lot and decide to make the leap from online to in-person!

Things to Remember

Don’t Panic!

Rejoining the dating game can be scary. There’s a natural fear of rejection, but remember you’re not alone. Everyone who is dating is putting themselves out there to connect with others! Try to get grounded before even thinking about your dating situation.

Go Back To Dating, As Yourself

It may be tempting to adopt a new personality or interest to protect yourself when you start dating again. Resist! Act natural!

If you’re serious about dating, you don’t want to give false impressions about who you are and what you’re interested in. For example, don’t lie about loving roller coasters if you hate them. Your date might just suggest that next time!

Mostly, know that it’s ok to be yourself, and that doing so will help you find ‘the one’ more easily.

You Deserve A Good Time

If you’re feeling miserable talking to someone, something’s wrong! Try to have fun while you’re dating. Not every date is the first step to marriage – it’s really the best time to get to know the other’s personality and interests, and there shouldn’t be pressure to enjoy yourself. With the right date, it’ll just happen.

Be Realistic

Try not to project your previous relationship onto this one. Depending on your previous experiences, you may expect something other than what you’ll get: maybe a perfect match, or a fixer-upper. Keep an open mind about this person and be willing to learn more about them! Hopefully they’ll do the same for you.

And if you need to let off some steam before your new date, your understanding peers are waiting…