Guilt Free Dating

Do you spend a lot of time worrying that you have done the wrong thing and have upset other people? We all spend way too long feeling guilty, but online dating need not add to your feelings of guilt.

Don’t feel guilty about saying ‘no’

If someone has taken the time to send you a carefully crafted and super-flattering message, you may feel like you have to be nice back, even if you don’t think that they would be a very good match for you.

However, in this case, it is necessary to be cruel to be kind and you should not feel guilty about politely turning someone down.

To ease your conscience and to ensure that they can move on, just make sure to send them a message that says something along the lines of “Thank you for your lovely message, but I don’t think that we would be a good match. Best of luck in your search.”

Don’t feel guilty about taking your time

If you don’t want to rush into anything, you don’t have to. Tell any potential date that you’d like to take your time and get to know them before declaring that you are an item, or making a big decision like going on holiday together, or meeting their family.

Don’t feel guilty about talking to lots of people

Online dating is a great way to meet a lots of new people and it’s perfectly normal to talk to more than one person at a time.

Don’t feel like you have to speak to only one person, for fear that you are being disloyal. You are only ‘two-timing’ someone if you start a relationship with them. Just talking to people to establish whether you’d get on is fine.

Do feel guilty if you are already in a relationship

Online dating is meant to be for single people to meet other single people, so if you are in a relationship and testing the water, that is not acceptable. If you are unhappy with your partner and want to break up with them, do so before you start online dating. If you are doing it for an ego boost, you risk hurting your partner and upsetting people who are genuinely interested in dating you.