If finding love is a big priority for you, then chances are you’ve taken every opportunity to find someone. But are you focusing on it too much? Too much of anything will never turn out well, and it can lead to serious dating rust-out or worse. If you find yourself going a little nuts on your quest for romance, you might need to take a break from the dating game for a while. Here’s how to tell if a hiatus is called for.
- You don’t even care to fill out your information seriously anymore. Before, you would stress over what details to add to your profile to make you stand out. Now you throw in the minimum amount of details and more jokes. Who cares? When you did, it didn’t work anyway. Besides, no one else is making an effort, so why should you?
- Your pictures for dating profiles are pretty honest. Screw filters, screw having a full face of makeup, and screw having an interesting background. You have a simple selfie of you in your place, and that’s the way it’ll stay. You’re sick of trying to make your life seem more amazing than it is. There’s really no point.
- When people ask you why you’re still single, you give a sarcastic answer. Going to see the family is always annoying because of this question. It used to give you anxiety, but now you say you’re single because your dates keep finding your secret dead bodies at your place. Now, Grandma is nervous instead of you.
- You’re not interested in watching romance movies. You’ve gotten so cynical about love that you just can’t bear romantic comedies anymore. You know the relationships wouldn’t work in real life, and if the movie is really cute, it just makes you feel alone. If happily ever afters are making you want to barf, you might need to take a break from dating.
- You want to avoid bars and clubs like the plague. Your girls ask if you want to go out, but you’re always trying to talk them out of it to stay in. Why try to have small talk with someone who probably won’t care to text back the next day when you can spend time with your BFFs?
- You don’t get nervous before a first date anymore. You just don’t have that much invested to be scared, or you have very low expectations. You approach it more like an obligation, which doesn’t lead to any results. This feeling of hopeless is a good indication that taking a step back from the dating scene may be a good idea.
- You turn down offers to be set up. Once upon a time, you would jump at every opportunity to meet someone new. “This could be it!” you’d think in the back of your mind. Now that voice says, “This is definitely not it” and you’re always trying to get out of it. If you’re not even willing to try, you know there’s an issue.
- You don’t take online dating seriously. Online dating is never about actually interacting with people anymore. It’s really just about finding the weirdest profile and showing it to all of your friends. No one can really blame you. It’s really mad out there! However, if you’re not going to give it 100%, it may be better to take a full-blown dating break for a while.
- You’re getting to the point where you feel like everyone is the same. When you feel like you dated everyone then you begin to generalize, and, well, give up! You haven’t just yet, but the fatigue has truly set in. Or, perhaps you are only dating one type of guy.
- You look at pet adoption sites more than your dating apps. True love no longer looks like another human but a furry, cuddly animal. There’s no shame in it, but it may be a sign that you need a break from dating. It’s not forever, but a temporary time-out can help you readjust your expectations and perspective so you can get back out there feeling refreshed and a bit more hopeful.
- You’ve pretty much resigned yourself to being alone forever. You know that realistically speaking, you’ll probably meet someone eventually. However, given how many times you’ve struck out, you’re feeling like that “eventually” might as well never come. This frustration is normal and even to be expected. That being said, if it’s getting overwhelming, maybe consider throwing in the towel for a bit.