Vulnerable online dating

Most of my single patients complain about online dating. And then, if you are lucky enough to find a connection with someone and go out on a date, you have to tolerate a lot of feelings including potential disappointment or rejection. While no one else can go on dates for you, I do think your attitude toward online dating can make a big difference. Here are 6 ideas to make online dating more tolerable, and dare I say, enjoyable.

There comes a time in all relationships where we let down our guards just a little, and truly open up for the first time ever. Though it can be one of the most daunting tasks when you're just starting off, being vulnerable in relationships that are new is completely necessary to forming a connection and making it last. Regardless of how essential we know it is to making our relationships work, it still isn't fun feeling left so exposed when your new partner may not receive it the way you'd hoped. But above all, one of the most one challenging aspects of opening up is figuring out when to do it. Unfortunately, there's no blanket answer to that question. It could be a few weeks into seeing someone when you guys finally decide to start talking about the serious stuff, or you guys may just be hardcore vibing on the first date.

After a series of really disappointing dating situations in my teens and early twenties, I gradually built a wall around my heart. I told myself that I was still being vulnerable with the people I dated, but that vulnerability only went so deep. Even when I met the right person, there was part of my heart that I kept tucked away in the name of self-preservation.

Digital technology, especially smart devices, have transformed many aspects of our society, including how people meet each other and establish relationships — romantic or otherwise. Attitudes towards dating apps and services have grown progressively more positive in recent years. People are now not only turning to their devices to work, shop, and play, but to manage their personal lives and relationships too. Online dating is becoming more popular. Are online daters giving away too much about themselves?