{"id":19573,"date":"2020-02-02T10:16:28","date_gmt":"2020-02-02T18:16:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/datemixstaging.wpengine.com\/?p=19573"},"modified":"2021-05-31T08:12:55","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T15:12:55","slug":"how-to-start-dating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/how-to-start-dating\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start Dating: Everything You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

So you wondering how to start dating? While dating can be nerve-wracking for even the most seasoned veterans, it\u2019s especially anxiety-riddled for the newbies (or those who\u2019ve been out of the game for a while). However, never fear! Dating can also be fun and exciting, and even more so when you have a plan of action that will help make you feel confident and calm, and your best self. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most important things to know when you\u2019re thinking about how to start dating is that there is no right and wrong. You can tailor your dating life to your preferences and you get to decide when you\u2019re ready, want to take a step back and how you want it to fit in your life. Here\u2019s our guide to covering the basics when you\u2019re thinking about getting started, be it for the first time or getting back out there after a break<\/span> `. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ready? Here\u2019s how to start dating! <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be Clear About What You Want <\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you think about dating, what do you think about? Do you just want to dip your toes in the dating pool and have some flirty fun? Are you looking for a hookup? Or are you interested in a committed relationship? Being clear with what you\u2019re seeking on the dating scene will help narrow the field and allow you and potential dates to be on the same page. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who Will Make You Feel Like Your Best Self?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding your perfect match<\/a> isn\u2019t about seeking someone who looks like Leonardo DiCaprio or Ariana Grande. It also isn\u2019t about money or what they do for a living. When it comes to compatibility and what makes a relationship thrive, you want to look for a person who embodies the qualities that makes you feel connected and inspired, and who essentially brings out the best in you. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask yourself: what do you value most in life? Community? Friendships? A sense of purpose? What\u2019s important to you when it comes to forming relationships? Is it intelligence, humor, thoughtfulness, kindness, and respect? <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visualize your ideal partner. What are you doing together, and most importantly, how do you want to feel when you\u2019re around them? Safe? Joyful? Peaceful? Think of the feelings, values, and qualities of that ideal partnership when you vet potential partners. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are You Ready to Date?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warning: Dating can be a minefield of emotional triggers. If you haven\u2019t healed from past relationships<\/a> or any type of traumatic experience prior to dating, then it\u2019s likely you\u2019ll be confronted with some potentially painful memories that could interfere with the development of a new connection. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be real with yourself: are you feeling good about meeting new people? Do you feel like you\u2019re equipped to handle intimacy and a healthy dose of vulnerability? <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s okay if you\u2019re not! While we won\u2019t ever be \u201cperfect\u201d and totally healed individuals in order to start dating (after all we might encounter a lifetime of triggers), it\u2019s important to be honest with your emotional readiness before you start seeing people. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell Everyone You Know!<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, creating a dating profile is an excellent way to meet people, but don\u2019t underestimate the power of your community. When you\u2019re looking for a potential partner, you don\u2019t want to remain quiet about it. You never know who knows someone else who\u2019s also single and ready to mingle! <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Join New Activities That Interest You<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meeting someone who has similar interests is not only a great way to break the ice, but it\u2019s also an easy way to connect with someone. After all, you already know you have something in common! Who knows? Your future love could be on your co-ed soccer team or at a cooking class! Focus on what you love to do, and you never know who you might bump into. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While dating does require some effort, whether it\u2019s doing some personal inventory or creating a dating profile or joining a new class, it doesn\u2019t have to feel like work. When you have the right mindset about dating, you can view it as an exciting hobby rather than a stressful career move, and then dating becomes something you look forward to. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By focusing on being your best self, then you\u2019re sure to attract someone who\u2019s been looking for someone just like you! Sometimes when you\u2019re wondering how to start dating, the best way to do it is just to take the leap and see where it takes you! <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We cover the basics to successfully get you back out into the dating world. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":19574,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[884,980],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dating-advice","category-online-dating-tips"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Start Dating: Everything You Need to Know<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"So you wondering how to start dating? Dating can be nerve-wracking even for veterans, and anxiety attack-inducing for newbies. Don't fear - we cover a basic action plan to get back out there.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/how-to-start-dating\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Start Dating: Everything You Need to Know\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"So you wondering how to start dating? Dating can be nerve-wracking even for veterans, and anxiety attack-inducing for newbies. Don't fear - we cover a basic action plan to get back out there.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/how-to-start-dating\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Date Mix\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoosk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/briannehoganwriter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-02-02T18:16:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-05-31T15:12:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/lovely-couple-eating-ice-cream_t20_P3XYyd-800x600-how-to-start-dating.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brianne Hogan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Zoosk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Zoosk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Brianne Hogan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Start Dating: Everything You Need to Know","description":"So you wondering how to start dating? Dating can be nerve-wracking even for veterans, and anxiety attack-inducing for newbies. Don't fear - we cover a basic action plan to get back out there.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/how-to-start-dating\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Start Dating: Everything You Need to Know","og_description":"So you wondering how to start dating? Dating can be nerve-wracking even for veterans, and anxiety attack-inducing for newbies. Don't fear - we cover a basic action plan to get back out there.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/how-to-start-dating\/","og_site_name":"The Date Mix","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoosk\/","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/briannehoganwriter","article_published_time":"2020-02-02T18:16:28+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-05-31T15:12:55+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/lovely-couple-eating-ice-cream_t20_P3XYyd-800x600-how-to-start-dating.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Brianne Hogan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Zoosk","twitter_site":"@Zoosk","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Brianne Hogan","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/how-to-start-dating\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/how-to-start-dating\/"},"author":{"name":"Brianne Hogan","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/person\/998b0188341ae3769c173ccb0cd5ab72"},"headline":"How to Start Dating: Everything You Need to Know","datePublished":"2020-02-02T18:16:28+00:00","dateModified":"2021-05-31T15:12:55+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/how-to-start-dating\/"},"wordCount":792,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/how-to-start-dating\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/lovely-couple-eating-ice-cream_t20_P3XYyd-800x600-how-to-start-dating.jpg","articleSection":["Dating Advice","Online Dating Tips"],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/how-to-start-dating\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/how-to-start-dating\/","name":"How to Start Dating: Everything You Need to Know","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/how-to-start-dating\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/how-to-start-dating\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/lovely-couple-eating-ice-cream_t20_P3XYyd-800x600-how-to-start-dating.jpg","datePublished":"2020-02-02T18:16:28+00:00","dateModified":"2021-05-31T15:12:55+00:00","description":"So you wondering how to start dating? Dating can be nerve-wracking even for veterans, and anxiety attack-inducing for newbies. Don't fear - we cover a basic action plan to get back out there.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/how-to-start-dating\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/how-to-start-dating\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/how-to-start-dating\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/lovely-couple-eating-ice-cream_t20_P3XYyd-800x600-how-to-start-dating.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/lovely-couple-eating-ice-cream_t20_P3XYyd-800x600-how-to-start-dating.jpg","width":800,"height":600,"caption":"an attractive couple eating ice cream and showing how to start dating again"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/how-to-start-dating\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Dating Tips","item":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"How to Start Dating: Everything You Need to Know"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/","name":"The Date Mix","description":"Dating and Relationship Advice for Today's Daters","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#organization","name":"The Date Mix","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/TDM-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/TDM-logo.jpg","width":400,"height":400,"caption":"The Date Mix"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoosk\/","https:\/\/x.com\/Zoosk"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/person\/998b0188341ae3769c173ccb0cd5ab72","name":"Brianne Hogan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/avatar_user_61_1624543834-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/avatar_user_61_1624543834-96x96.jpg","caption":"Brianne Hogan"},"description":"Brianne Hogan is a Canadian freelance writer who's been writing about dating and relationships longer than any of her relationships. She applies a \"do what I say, not do what I do\" approach to her articles, and believes you can find Your Person mostly when you aren't looking. So enjoy your life, and eat lots of cheese (at least that's her motto). Brianne's byline has been featured on Thrillist, The Huffington Post, HelloGiggles, Elle Canada, Flare, Awesomeness TV, among others.","sameAs":["http:\/\/briannehogan.ca\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/briannehoganwriter"],"url":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/author\/brianne-hogan\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19573\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}