Panache

Online dating is popular but can impact your mental health through challenges like ghosting, breadcrumbing, and profile hopping. This guide offers 9 practical ways to protect your emotional well-being while using dating apps.

Learn how to set boundaries, manage expectations, and practice self-care to maintain mental wellness. Whether you’re new or experienced in online dating, these tips help you stay balanced and confident in your search for meaningful connections.

Also Read: How does online dating affect your mental health?

Do not take rejection personally.

One of the most important things you need to learn is not to take rejection personally while on a dating app. People have their own objectives, priorities, and perceptions when they select people to chat with. If you select someone and they don’t select you in return, please don’t take it to heart.

If you have low self-esteem and confidence, or you doubt yourself in any regard, such as looks or personality, there is a chance you take rejections personally. If that happens, you need to acknowledge those emotions and try to heal from them first.

Understand that there are a lot of factors at play while scrolling through social media. And you’re not getting as many matches or matches from a certain person is not an indication of anything. Try to let go and see it as an experience instead of a lesson.

Your profile is just a teaser. (set clear intentions)

Your profile is how people judge you. Yet, it cannot tell everything about you. Again, if people judge you based on that information, they may fill in the blanks according to their perspective. Therefore, they will behave accordingly with you.

It is your duty to set clear expectations. Either through your profile or the first conversation you have with the match. Even if they come at you with much judgment, don’t indulge in it, and make sure you are clear about what you are looking for.

Remember, your profile is just a teaser. And the whole objective of online dating is to find someone to strike up an interesting conversation with. Based on this you can make a decision and finally meet them in person. Don’t get distracted from that objective.

Consider it as another conversation.

Have you been thinking of learning to be witty and humorous? You may have learned a few pickup lines to impress your match. Sometimes, you hesitate, and other times, you fumble heavily. Eventually, you get nervous and leave your pursuit hanging.

Online dating applications may feel like a competition where people can easily jump from one prospect to another. However, don’t get too nervous; instead, consider it just another conversation.

Many people approach romantic prospects on dating apps because they cannot approach them in real life. But competition and the image of dating apps make them nervous. They think one wrong step and they will be unapproachable. Do not think this way, as it is not healthy for your mental health.

The number of matches doesn’t define your worth.

You may remind yourself as you go into the world of online dating. And still feel lagging once you enter it. There are so many picture-perfect people. And picture-perfect profiles of those people that you may lose confidence in, and find yourself incompetent.

But that should not be the case. Again, remind yourself that the application’s algorithm, people’s objectives, and their biases play a huge role in selecting someone. You do not need to define your worth with the matches you get.

Make some boundaries.

When you are talking to someone via dating apps, you are bound to share some things about yourself. You may share what you like and don’t like your hobbies, or interests. But have you thought about the things you will never share with a person you just met online?

If you have never thought about it, maybe now is the time you think about it. Some people may open up their darkest secrets to seem authentic to the other person. However, if things don’t go right, you may feel you have overshared and regret it.

Also, there is always the chance of getting catfished. So, you’d better decide the things that you are going to share. And would draw a strict line when asked about things other than those. If asked with much insistence, you can always tell them that you are not comfortable sharing that information. If they are healthy beings, they will respect your boundaries.

Also Read: 10 effective ways to maintain healthy boundaries.

Don’t try too hard.

When you don’t land the right match for yourself, you start trying too hard for them. You blame it on the algorithm of the application and other factors. Then you start trying to make profiles on other apps and intend to continue your search.

However, this can worsen your desperation and mental health. Never be on multiple platforms and try to get matches everywhere. People may find you quickly and think that you are trying too hard to land someone, and that is why you are on multiple platforms.

You may also come across as a fraud. Take it easy, and if you don’t get any matches, you may always come back later.

Understand, that it is the algorithm and not you.

Dating apps are businesses running on algorithms at the end of the day. Understand that they will run out of business if they don’t keep you hooked. And that is where most people are wrong while operating a dating app.

They think that if they go on a date with one person or try to talk to one person, only. They will miss a much better prospect that might be waiting for them out there. And that is a possibility. Even though you have made up your mind that you have finally found your ultimate match.

You may still get distracted by other prospects as profiles keep appearing on your screen. It is a business, and it needs to keep the options open for you. It is up to you to decide where to stop and when to stop based on the objectives you set in the beginning.

Take breaks when needed.

You do not need to try your luck every day on the dating app. You can always log out or uninstall the apps. You may feel the need to do that when you are overwhelmed, feel rejected, feel emotional, desperate, or feel that you are too attached to the profile of a person.

You can always take multiple breaks and come back when you are ready. It is ideal to do that to take care of your emotional and mental health. Do not stick to your goal of landing a partner before you leave the app.

Instead, put your search on pause for a while and take a break. Meanwhile, reassess your priorities, work on yourself, talk to your friends about your online dating experience, and refresh yourself. Come back and meet some new people. You will find yourself with new energy.

Be Yourself.

As mentioned above, do not restrict yourself to an online dating app. Instead, keep on working on yourself offline. So, once you go back on the app, you can display your true self and offer something substantial to your romantic prospect.

Being yourself in a highly competitive place like a dating app may not sound right. You may think you need to become presentable to be liked and approved by your matches.

However, make sure that you do not advertise an avatar of yourself that is nowhere related to who you truly are. That is why it is necessary to keep working on yourself. Keep on exploring and building your personality.