How to Be Confident About Dating

by Laura Marie Meyers 1

The dating game can feel like one giant maze, but you don't need to tip-toe your way through the process. If you find that you're regularly apologizing to your friends, your family, or your co-workers about how and who you date, it's time to ease up on yourself. To boost your confidence and feel better about dating, take a look at these five common dating habits you don't need to apologize for:

1. Texting him first. No, really — you can be the one to reach out. Sure, there's something to be said for sitting back and sometimes letting him come to you, but there's no reason to put the ball in his court every single time. In fact, it's important to initiate every once in a while to let him know you care. That way, he'll have the confidence to keep putting himself out there.
2. Having a deal-breaker (or three). It may seem silly to some people that you've set some hard and fast rules for your future Mr. Right, but if, say, you can't imagine life without your dogs, then it's OK to look for a partner who loves pups too. Still, that being said, if you've got a laundry list of surface-level requirements for your guy, then think again: people can surprise you.
3. Falling fast. When you've got a good feeling about someone early on and things between you start to move quickly, that's OK. You don't need to feign hesitation or force things to slow down because you're worried about feeling confident so soon into the relationship. Of course, you don't want to move in with him after a week, either, but you should learn to embrace your instincts.

Read on for more dating habits you can feel good about.

4. Dating like it's your second job. Dating can be hard and exhausting, but if you like to live by the "practice makes perfect" mantra, then by all means, go for it. Getting to know a variety of people can help you narrow down what you're looking for in a partner, and meeting guys you don't like will make it easier to recognize the difference when you find someone you're into.
5. Steering clear of the Internet. If online dating isn't for you, then there's no need to force it. Just because your girlfriends, your mom, or your co-worker's cousin's roommate thinks you'd have great success on the Internet doesn't mean you have to follow through. What worked for someone else may not work for you, and that's perfectly OK.