Dating as an Adult

Dating as an adult can seem more challenging than when you were in your early twenties! Therefore, it can be easy to begin to feel hopeless about the possibility of finding your person.

However, you should know some KEY benefits of dating as an adult. As an adult, you have a better understanding of who you are as a person, what you want your life to look like, and what you want in a relationship.

So let me breakdown 6 things that you can do to make dating as an adult a little less daunting:

GET TO KNOW YOURSELF: Spend time getting to know yourself. Explore new hobbies, create a life you enjoy living, and understand your wants and needs.

LET GO OF THE TIMELINE: Let go of the idea that you are supposed to get married and/or have children by a certain age. The idea of a timeline will only make dating more overwhelming, and you may find yourself settling.

STOP PLAYING GAMES: If you want to talk to the person, talk to them. Stop counting the time they took to respond or using "if they wanted to, they would" as an excuse. If you want to, then do it.

BE CLEAR ABOUT YOUR NEEDS: Be upfront about what you want and share your intentions. This will help you narrow down individuals looking for the same thing.

WORK ON YOURSELF: While dwelling on past relationships won't help you move forward, identifying your areas of growth is important. Spend time working on yourself to be the best partner possible.

KEEP AN OPEN MIND: Having an idea of what you are looking for in a relationship is important, but having a checklist can be detrimental. Keep an open mind and let go of factors that aren't deal-breakers.

As always… I’m rooting for you,

Karishma Patel, AMFT