Dealing With Social Anxiety While Dating Online

And finally, never start a conversation by mentioning your shortcomings. Being shy, nervous or inexperienced is completely okay and if you have the bravery to combat them then you’ll surely succeed in your dating endeavors. However, dropping such negativity on your partner right off the bat shouts insecurity, which would not give your prospective partner much to stick around for. If you feel more comfortable mentioning that you suffer from social anxiety, then it might be better to bring it up only after you have developed a bond and feel relaxed talking with your date.

Handling the situation tactically

The biggest virtue of online dating is that you have all the time in the world to prepare. You don’t need to react immediately; in fact, the system rewards a more tactical approach. This is a huge advantage for someone with social anxiety, as they might prefer to plan their next move. If you are the kind of person who spends hours coming up with the right word for describing themselves then your well-written ‘About me’ section will surely catch someone’s eye.

Online dating is also tactical in the sense that rushing to answer someone’s message could scare away an otherwise promising date. Keep in mind that there are certain times of the day when answering is a no-no, so use this downtime to read the other person’s profile page to learn about their hobbies and come up with conversation ideas. Consider also browsing the search results in hopes of finding a second love interest; online dating is a game where you can keep more than one iron in the fire.