After you have gone through a breakup, one of the hardest things along with dealing with heartbreak is the process of knowing when you might be ready to get back in the swing of things and start dating again. Some people do it way too fast, some people wait too long and miss out. The trick is to know exactly when to throw yourself back into the pool. The one thing you don’t want to do is go in too early. Here are seven signs that you are not ready to start dating again.
You are still in the phase where you are comparing every new person that you meet to your ex, which means that he is still at the front of your mind. If you can’t interact with a potential love interest without matching them up to the person who you just split with, it definitely means that you aren’t ready to move on.
You still feel scared to open up your heart to someone new because you remember just how bad it broke the last time. The heart is a wonderful thing. It will let you know when it is ready to move on, but until then, you should force it.
For various reasons, maybe loneliness or peer pressure, you feel like you need to be dating someone new rather than actually WANTING to. This can be a bad path to go down because you might find yourself grabbing the nearest person rather than the right person.
You find that you are changing your personality and behaviours in order to attract and be with someone new, rather than staying true to yourself and waiting for the ideal partner to come along. If you can’t be yourself whilst dating, then it means that you aren’t ready.
Do you sometimes feel like you are floating outside of your body when it comes to post-breakup dating and romance? This is a sign that you aren’t being fully present and committed at the moment. When you mind is ready, it will match up with your body and you will feel much more present.
You are ignoring your own standards and just settling for the person who is showing the most interest rather than holding out for a quality partner. Settling is a sign that you aren’t trying very hard or respecting yourself in the process, which in turn is an indicator that you are not ready to get back in the game.
There is nothing wrong with staying civil with an ex, but if you are in the position of being really close, almost BFF level, then moving on to a new partner is always going to a weird thing. I think it’s best to create some distance with the ex whilst still be friendly, so that you can make new romantic moves without feeling awkward.