9 Dating Tips For Late Bloomers Who Haven’t Found Their Person Yet

“Learn not to rely on external approval. Dating can be really hard and sometimes you go on a bunch of first dates that never go anywhere and that can lead you to spending time with people you don’t really like for validation. It can be rough. It can be anxiety provoking and not fun. (This largely depends on your personality, but if you’re anxious, the repeated putting yourself out there is not fun). I bring this up because partnered people will hear dating and think ‘fun!’ because they are thinking of spending time with their partner.” — dachshundsarebetter

“Your objective isn’t to please them. Your objective is to be as genuine as possible to give them the necessary information to decide to go on a second date. This doesn’t mean that you should aim to be unpleasant; it just means that you shouldn’t compliment everything about them and bend over backwards to their every whim. That comes off as highly insecure.” — alphager

“Remember that you are both there BY CHOICE. The other person most likely wouldn’t be there if they weren’t at least a little curious about you. With that in mind, relax.” — ext23

“If you don’t know the person very well, for a first date, I would suggest getting coffee or ice cream. Do not go out for dinner or something that takes long because if you realize within the first five minutes you don’t like them, it’s going to be really hard for you to escape. Getting coffee can be short and sweet but if you’re really feeling them, you can then suggest doing something longer.” — [deleted]

“It’s ok if you don’t feel a connection the first date; that’s why it’s called dating. Figure out what you like/dislike in someone you are romantically involved with, and don’t settle into something just because you feel like your time is running out. Your 20s and 30s are when you are supposed to be finding yourself, so just have fun!” — moon_mooon

“I find that when it comes to your late 20s, the intentions of the people you are dating can wildly differ. Some people are dating because they want to settle down quickly (get married in a year or less), and others are dating more casually. It’s best to figure out what you want and what the other person wants as well as soon as you can.” — saratonin95

“My best advice is do something simple that you enjoy. I’ve always gone to a restaurant that I thoroughly enjoy because I could if had the worse date of my life, but the night is still a win due to you going to your place.” — [deleted]

“Listen. Like, really listen. Don’t hear what the other person is saying and plan in your head what you’re going to say next. Listen to what they’re actually saying and then say something leading off from it, or ask a question about it. Conversation will flow far better.” — [deleted]

“You don’t deserve them, they deserve you. In other words, don’t put the other person on a pedestal. Just be yourself, if it doesn’t work out then they would have been a bad fit anyway. Worst thing you can do is get yourself in a hopeless relationship because you act like somebody you aren’t during a date.” — Molten__