{"id":21507,"date":"2023-03-14T05:52:26","date_gmt":"2023-03-14T04:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/?p=21507"},"modified":"2023-03-14T05:53:19","modified_gmt":"2023-03-14T04:53:19","slug":"make-dating-fun-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/make-dating-fun-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Make Dating Fun Again! Why You Shouldn&#8217;t Lose That Joy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We all want to feel connected. We\u2019re social beings. And some of the most important connections that we create are in our romantic relationships. We understand that craving, yearning, and deep desire for romantic connections.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s why dating can feel so heavy sometimes. When you want something so badly, it sometimes takes the fun out of it. Mix that in with societal expectations, pressure from family, and comparison to other people in your life or on social media and you might start to dread dating.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You forget that relationships aren\u2019t something to check off your to-do list, but a way to connect and get more depth out of life. Dating is part of the relationship process for many people, and it\u2019s a step that you should be able to enjoy. If dating has been weighing you down, we\u2019re here to help make it fun again!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Why Dating Should Be Fun<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you\u2019re taking yourself and life too seriously, it zaps the joy from what could be a spontaneous, fun interaction. Sometimes when we show up to dates, we have this preconceived notion of who this person is, and what they can give to us.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But the reality is that you don\u2019t really know them, at least not in the context of a romantic relationship. You don\u2019t know what the dynamics of your connection will look like over time. You don\u2019t know if this is your future spouse or co-parent. And that\u2019s ok. You don\u2019t need to know right now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All you need to do right now is enjoy the process. Yes, life and relationships can be serious sometimes, but dating is an opportunity for fun and spontaneity. A way to meet new people and get a better understanding of what you want in a partner and how you show up in relationships.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dating lets you try out new things, and new people, and go to places that you might not have been otherwise. Like that wine bar meets ceramic studio downtown, or the restaurant you\u2019ve walked past a million times but have never been to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You don\u2019t need to know what the future holds right now, nor can you. But you can focus on showing up as honestly and authentically as possible and committing to enjoying the process.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Joy Is Magnetic<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fun and joy go hand in hand, and guess what? Joy is sexy. Joy makes you memorable. Joy makes people want to be around you. Joy is magnetic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If we\u2019re being honest (and we always are), people don\u2019t usually want to date someone who is negative, a buzzkill, or just not engaging. We\u2019re not saying that\u2019s you, but sometimes if you\u2019re not enjoying the process of dating, people can pick up on that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So if the sheer feeling of joy itself isn\u2019t motivation enough, think of it this way: Joy helps attract people who are more aligned with what you need, and what makes you feel good. Plus you\u2019ll notice if someone doesn\u2019t match your joyful energy and know they\u2019re probably not it!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plus if you\u2019re able to enjoy yourself no matter what the outcome is, then any relationship that comes from that has a happy, positive foundation to grow from.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>How To Have Fun Dating<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All of this is nice in theory, but how do you actually start to have fun while dating?<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Take the Pressure Off<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s helpful to set an intention before going on a date. What do you want from this date outside of a relationship, future spouse, someone to have sex with, etc? Focus on how you want to feel.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do you want to try to connect over common interests?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do you want to laugh your butt off?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do you want some intimacy and softness?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These kinds of intentions keep you focused on how you\u2019re feeling versus trying to force certain things to happen that meet your expectations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Do Something Fun<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This may seem obvious, but sometimes we forget. A fancy dinner is not a fun first date for a lot of people. If it works for you, great, but a lot of times it can feel awkward and unnatural.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to have fun dating, try doing something that you both find fun!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some ideas:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Go to a cooking class instead of a fancy dinner<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bring a board game to the park with some snacks<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adrenaline junkies unite over climbing, surfing, or whatever your activity of choice is<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Know When to Take a Break<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All that being said, if you\u2019re feeling zapped and drained by dating, know when to hit the pause button. If it\u2019s not fun anymore, if you\u2019re feeling the sting of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/how-to-take-rejection\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">rejection<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, if you\u2019re feeling deeper issues come up or be triggered \u2013 it might be time to focus on yourself for a bit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dating can feel like a lot, and that\u2019s ok. Be gentle with yourself. You deserve to enjoy the process just like you deserve to have a relationship that feels stable, nurturing, and of course\u2026 fun!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We all want to feel connected. We\u2019re social beings. And some of the most important connections that we create are in our romantic relationships. We understand that craving, yearning, and&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":18593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[383],"tags":[369],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.12 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How To Make Dating More Fun for Everyone<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Whether it&#039;s a fancy dinner or watching your show together on the couch, here are some tips to make dating fun again.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/make-dating-fun-again\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Natasha Weiss\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/make-dating-fun-again\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/make-dating-fun-again\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Natasha Weiss\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/b6c60ecf47ec06a36c4b2f175253c5ff\"},\"headline\":\"Make Dating Fun Again! 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