Dating brings out a bunch of emotions for anyone. It brings out reminders of our past, what we liked, what we didn't. It brings out the good, the bad and the very ugly.
Dating from my experience brings out the little giddy girl inside of me, it also brings out the terrified woman who is scared to let her guard down.
Through dating and trying to understand my emotions for dating, one word continues to be the main way I can describe what I am terrified of:
Rejection.
Yes, the word that we hate in more areas of our lives but for me, rejection is probably the most terrifying thing about dating.
You are scared that the person will reject you for who you are, scared that they will not want to continue to date you, scared that you aren't good enough and the list of over analyzing continues. Ultimately, feeling scared of rejection.
Rejection continues to fill out minds with unrealistic scenarios of 'What Ifs" and sometimes it can set things up in our heads to make things worse.
I have let this fear consume my thoughts more then I want to admit. I have allowed this fear for me to push great people away, to sabotage great things for me. But I also have felt rejection before which has made me very jaded.
But as a wise man once said to me
"You cannot let your past experience dictate your future."
He was right, but like any advice, it is so much easier said than done. However, it has to be done.
Just because you were rejected in the past doesn't mean it will happen again. You have to remove that fear sometimes to see the true beauty of dating.
Dating teaches you what you want and don't want.
Dating teaches you that there is still a child laugh of excitement in your life.
Dating teaches you how to get through tough times, like break-ups and how you can survive.
Dating teaches you about adventure, fun, kindness, and relationships.
I fully believe everyone is scared of rejection at some point and that it is normal to feel this way, but rejection will happen in many forms of your life, however, letting it run your life will not allow you to enjoy the true beauty of it.
So go out there, try to let go of the fear of rejection and love your dating life as much as possible.
