As you return home from your third date this week, cheeks numb from too much fake smiling, you ask yourself for the umpteenth time – Why am I doing this again?

Dating is hard, it’s an exhausting activity for most people.

All the nights in you could have been comfortably wrapped up like a burrito, binging your favourite shows and ordering a disgraceful amount of fast food. 

But then again, the consequences of not dating are pretty bleak. 

You can handle your mom’s incessant nagging. Nevertheless, you also have this sense of longing, wondering what it would be like to have a burrito no. 2.

What if we told you that there are ways to make dating less awkward and strenuous?

There are ways to make dating suck less, while you make the most of each encounter.

In the spirit of wanting everyone to have a more fulfilled dating life, here are 12 dating tips for women! We’ll also include a few common mistakes women make that might be sending the wrong signals.

No need to be shy, we’re all friends here! Let’s go!

12 Dating advice for women

1) Change your dating mindset

Like many things in life, if you go in with a negative attitude while obsessing over the outcome, the activity will become more of a chore. The same applies for dating. 

Instead of putting pressure on each date to succeed and feeling bad when nothing pans out, alter your mindset to just enjoy the ride!

Dating is an opportunity for you to get out of the house, meet new people, score a few dinners, and maybe even earn some pocket money!

When you look at dating from this perspective, you’ll start having more fun on each date, and even get better at dating.

 

2) Accept being single

Being single is not a life prison sentence, being in a relationship with the wrong person is. 

Besides the reason that it sucks to be alone (sometimes), singledom has its perks! And they’re just waiting to be unlocked. 

Invest your time and energy in other important facets of your life like friends, family, hobbies, career, mindfulness, anything YOU find joy doing. 

Once you accept being single and enjoy spending time with yourself, Mr/Mrs right will materialise when you least expect it. 

 

3) Don’t be too judgemental

It’s the 21st century and we can’t stress this enough – looks aren’t everything!

A good looking man/woman in fancy get up who speaks eloquently doesn’t signify that they’re going to be responsible or mature enough for you. 

On the other hand, the person painted with tattoos in ripped clothing sitting across from you at dinner may be the most caring, down to earth human being you’ve ever met. 

What we’re saying is, to get to know someone, you need to look past the outer appearances. 

Pay attention, listen to their words, the way they act, their invigorating stories, and their real persona will begin to unfold right in front of you. 

 

4) Be yourself

We don’t know who needs to hear this – YOU.ARE.GOOD.ENOUGH!

Do whatever it takes to be your best, but do it for yourself, and not for anyone else!

One good thing about going through so many dates is that you get so good at it. 

You get better at handling rejection, you build self-confidence, strength, and what you’re searching for naturally becomes clearer.

You also get better at being yourself!

 

5) Know what you are looking for 

Don’t worry if you can’t answer this question right away, the answer will slowly manifest as you just go on doing your thing. 

Every now and then, ask yourself “What am I looking for?”

Being clear about what you want will naturally help you to meet the right people, go on the right dates. 

 

6) Go for the right people

You don’t need to have the same interests, hobbies, characteristics, or personality traits as your soulmate, although it’ll definitely be more fun.

Instead, your soulmate should possess traits that signify they are in it for the long run.

Your soulmate should be someone who deeply cares about you, always wants the best for you, is willing to compromise if it means making you happy, and vice versa.

 

7) Don’t interrogate

Yes, you’re giddy with excitement to know everything about the hottie sitting across from you.

But among the mistakes women make when getting to know someone, is asking too many questions until it comes off sounding like an interrogation.

This can make the situation very awkward and sweaty in a jiffy.

Trust us, asking too many questions on the first few dates will not look good on you. 

You might come off sounding too eager or desperate, and that’s not even the real you!

Let the questions flow naturally, and just groove in each other’s vibrations instead.

 

8) Give them chances

We already know how first dates can give us the heebie-jeebies, and it’s likely the same (if not worse) for our male counterparts too. 

So, even if your date seems awkward and closed off during the first date, a second (or even third) date is only fair for you to get to know them past all the perspiration. 

Look at it from a different angle, have you had any dates where you wished you’d have gotten another chance?

Give as many chances as you can afford, but know when to draw the line. 

 

9) Forget all the games/rules

If the relationship transpires, it’s not going to be because you waited an extra 20 mins before replying to your then potential boo’s texts. 

We’re also not saying that you should wait on every beep or ding to reply to them immediately. 

Bottom line is, if you look at dating as a game, someone (most likely yourself) is going to end up being the loser. 

Most importantly, be natural, be honest, be spontaneous, and be yourself!

 

10) Take a break

When you feel like you’ve turned every rock on your journey in finding love, and things start to become too repetitive or frustrating, take a breather!

The guys and girls in the dating pool will just have to wait until you recuperate.

Take as much time as you need to spend time with yourself, maybe that’s exactly what you need to snap yourself back into boss babe mode!

 

11) Don’t let outsiders ruin your vibe (too early)

By outsiders, we mean anyone who’s not you or your new man/woman. 

Your friends and family are not the ones going on dates with your new squeeze, so to avoid their premature judgements, try not to ask for their opinions when it’s too early in the “relationship”.

Don’t get us wrong, go ahead and share all you want about your new crush!

But unless you already know how you really feel about them, comments from outsiders might color your own true feelings. 

 

12) Get on the right platforms

The internet is wonderful. It brought us Instagram, cat videos, and now, it’s going to help you find love!

Have you ever thought that maybe you’re not meeting the right people because you’re on the wrong dating platforms? Or maybe that you haven’t even given dating apps a chance?

What is it that you want out of your dating experience? Are you looking for something casual or someone to share an address with? There’s a dating app for that!

For starters, Sugarbook is the best dating platform for men/women who know what they want in a relationship. If this sounds like you, visit Sugarbook for some sugar today!

Dating is like searching for a job. 

You write a killer resume, set up the interviews, attend the interviews, and hope you did well enough to get a call back. Like dating, the consequences of not landing a job doesn’t look too good either. 

Hopefully, with our dating tips above, and with a little bit more practice, you will soon be on the journey to having better dates!

For more dating advice for women and general dating tips, do check out our blog!

When you’re ready to take the dive into the world of online dating, we’ll be waiting for you at Sugarbook!