The first date is actually where the fun begins. Even if you are super confident, you may find that meeting someone for the first time can cause you to feel nervous. If you want to help yourself to have the best first date ever, then this survival guide will help you to find out everything you need to know without any difficulty at all.
By Team Savant
Image: Clay Banks
Eliminate Those Nerves
In the hours that lead up to your first date, you have to make sure that you are distracting yourself and that you are keeping those jitters at bay. If working at the gym is a stress reliever then go do a workout before you go to your date. If you feel more confident when you apply fake tan, then go for a session on the sunbed before your date begins. If you do this, then you’ll soon find that you are able to stop yourself from overthinking and you’ll be more than relaxed for when your big day comes along. If you think the date could go further than just meeting up with the other person, then click here to get a health check.
Get the Basics Right
If possible, you have to make sure that you are choosing a familiar or public place to meet up, where you and your partner are comfortable. It’s also helpful to tell a family member where you are, and when you expect to return. This is so they know where you are, and so that you can stay safe as much as possible. Cafes, believe it or not, make ideal first date venues. A cup of coffee after you have had a short encounter is always a good thing and you can make the date last as long or as short as you want.
Do Your Homework
Ahead of your first date, it’s helpful to try and prepare as much as possible. This will help you to calm yourself down ahead of time and it will also help you to stay focused on what’s ahead. If you want to help yourself, then it may help you to read through and pick out a few things from your date’s profile if you’ve been talking on social media, or even read through some of the things that they have told you before. This will help you to make sure that you are happy and confident throughout the entire date.
Dress to Impress
When you have a date, the last thing that you’ll want to be dealing with is wardrobe malfunctions. Before you even think about picking an outfit, you need to think about what kind of date you are going to be going on. You also need to think about the weather, the time of day and also the location too. It’s essential that you look the part, but it’s also essential that you feel good in whatever you are wearing too. The balance is crucial, so choose an outfit that meets both of these requirements and you’ll end up having a lot of confidence throughout the whole date.
Arrive Early
Believe it or not, lateness can be a deal-breaker. If you are held up then apologise, offer your date a drink and also make sure that you give them a smile. Things like this will ultimately help you to diffuse the situation when you arrive.
Keep Conversation Light
Image: Jonathan J. Castellon
Your first date will be all about enjoying the company of someone who is new and intriguing. You need to try and avoid things like debates or even stories about past relationships too. Dating should be fun, so keep things light and if you think you’re going to struggle, then try and make sure that you do everything you can to prepare some ice-breaker questions in advance. If you do this then you will make it way easier for yourself and you may even find that it is much less awkward for your date as well.
Enjoy Yourself
The best tip that you could hope to have when you go on your first date would be for you to simply enjoy yourself. If you know that the food is awful then don’t complain about it, but don’t make out that it is great either. If you know that your date has chosen, the venue then compliment something about it and say what a convenient location it is as well. Another way for you to keep your date somewhat upbeat would be for you to start conversations by asking all of the right questions when it comes to values and feelings as opposed to fact or fiction. Asking what your date loves about their job will get you a much better answer when compared to asking them just what they do.
Listen
Don’t ever feel as though you need to cram every single second of silence with questions or comments. You might well end up learning more by simply listening to your date. Little things like this can help you to have a much more natural conversation.
How to End the Date
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If you’re very keen on having another date with the person, then make sure that you tell them. It’s understandable that if you are shy, you might not feel as though you can really put yourself out there like that but you have to remember that your date is probably in the exact same situation. If you’re not 100% sure you want to go on another date then try and end the date on a very positive note, while being very truthful. This will help you to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings. Honesty is the best way for you to flourish and for you also make sure that everything goes well. If you are having a hard time getting over rejection from your date then this is understandable, but it happens. There’s sometimes nothing you can do, but you have to remember that there are others out there that have gone through the same thing, so you’re not alone.