When a relationship ends, it can take some time before you feel ready to start dating again. It might take longer for some people than for others, and that's OK! There's no set timeframe in which you must get back out there. There are, however, several things you'll notice about yourself if you're ready to date again, and honestly, noticing these things feels so liberating. When you're ready, you're ready — whether it takes days, weeks, months, or years. You do you! Take as much time as you need.
If you start to feel like you may be ready to re-enter the dating world, you may wonder how exactly to go about it. Do you create profiles on every dating app again? Are you supposed to go out and sit somewhere in public and wait? What comes next? "Put together a dating action plan; how you plan to share with close friends that you are looking, figuring out your on and offline plan and figuring out how much time and money you are willing to put toward it," Stef Safran, matchmaking and dating expert, tells Elite Daily. But before you take that leap into dating again, keep an eye out for these five things about yourself that can be indicators you are so ready.
After a breakup, you may find that you haven't really been attracted to anyone since you and your ex ended things. But when you're ready to start dating again, chances are you'll start noticing the cuties. "You’ll be curious and wonder what it may be like to spend one-on-one time together," life coach Nina Rubin tells Elite Daily.
It's normal to prioritize your mental and emotional health after a breakup, so if you let your physical health fall through the wayside for a little bit, don't be too hard on yourself. When you're ready to date again, "you may start caring (again) about your own appearance and may devote some money and time to your clothes, fitness and skin/makeup/hair," Rubin says.
Dating can be rough, but when you find yourself actually excited at the possibility of getting to know someone new again, that's a sign that you're ready. "You feel excited about the possibility of going on dates, even if they don't necessarily lead to meeting someone special right away," Safran says.
You may even notice a complete 180-degree flip in the way you look at dating as a whole. "A big difference in your feelings about dating will come about," Susan Trombetti, matchmaker and CEO of Exclusive Matchmaking, tells Elite Daily. "You are confident and ready and eager to get back out there."
When a relationship ends, it makes sense that you may want to check up on your ex from time to time on social media. But as time goes on, you may start to notice you haven't gone on their profile in a whole week, then two weeks, then a month, and so on. Eventually, "you don't feel a need to check your ex's social media," Safran says. And when you meet someone new who has piqued your interest, "you don't feel a need to compare them to your ex," she adds. When either of these things happen, or both, it could mean you're ready to move on for real.
You've probably heard the saying that the people who come into your life are either a blessing or a lesson, and sometimes, they're both. Well, exes are no different. When a relationship goes south, both parties usually play some sort of a role. "You have spent time assessing your part in previous relationships, corrected it, and you are ready to be happy and find the one," Trombetti says. You know what you want moving forward, and that's a good sign you're ready to dive in.
If you've noticed these five things, it may be time to take the next step. "Put yourself out there so you can meet someone," Trombetti suggests. "You can attend lots of parties, charity galas, or happy hours. You can join a few dating apps as well. It doesn’t matter." Your ex may always mean something to you, but that doesn't mean that you can't live your life without them. You can, and you will.
