Why Toxic Dating Habits Are Holding You Back: A Self-Improvement Guide

Everyone wants to find someone that they see as their person. But what if we told you that the person holding you back from being in a successful relationship is you? Some of us have a series of toxic dating habits we’re unaware of.

But, below, we’ve taken the chance to go in-depth about habits you might not know you’re exhibiting, but are causing you to miss out on the person of your dreams. Begin learning about these habits and how you can improve in the future to ensure you attract the right people and have a better chance of creating a stronger and longer-lasting relationship.

Leaning Too Much On a Checklist

It’s not far-fetched for people to create a list of what their perfect partner would be. However, the issue comes in when people begin to lean on this list more and begin rejecting people without giving them a chance to create a bond with you.

While yes, some things might be dealbreakers for you when you’re searching for someone in a relationship, this shouldn’t keep you from getting to know a person. Instead of carrying your list around everywhere, you go choose to leave the list at home.

Whenever you go on a date, enter the date by being open-minded about the person you’re meeting and what they bring to the table. By being open-minded, you never know what type of connection you could make with someone, and it could be the difference between finding your person or passing over the best thing that has ever happened to you.

Of course, when you continue going on dates with this person, you can note any red flags they exhibit. The more red flags they put off, the more you need to consider whether you want to continue pursuing a potential relationship with them.

Enjoying the Chase

Have you ever found a guy that isn’t available, but instead of moving on, you continue to pursue them? If so, your toxic trait is enjoying the chase, which means the commitment connection isn’t there, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find someone whom you can’t build this connection with. The chase will eventually lose its allure, and you’ll find yourself alone and with nothing to show for it.

If you find yourself chasing people that aren’t available, the first thing you should do is determine why you feel the need to chase people who don’t show an interest in you. This can help you determine whether there is a self-esteem problem or something else going on that makes you keep chasing the same people.

Everyone wants to believe they’re going to be the person that changes how someone feels and makes them want to commit. However, if someone doesn’t want to commit or isn’t ready for a relationship, you being an amazing person isn’t going to change this.

If you find yourself hoping that things will work out the way you see them in romantic movies, it’s time to stop. You need to move forward with life and find someone that sees you for who you are and wants to commit to you.

Approaching Dating With a Guarded Mind

Many people that enter the dating world find themselves guarded and scared of dating. Mainly because of things that have happened in your past that led you to be guarded and wanting to take things slow.

However, when you enter the dating world with a guarded mindset, you can miss out on forging a real connection with someone. Should you give 100% of yourself to someone the first time you meet them? No.

However, is there a level of openness you should approach each potential dating situation? Yes. If you find that you’re not ready to be open and let your guard down, then perhaps attempting to date isn’t the best thing for you to do.

If you have your guard up while dating, it’s best to communicate this clearly with the person you will potentially date. This will give them some background information about what you’re going through and can explain some of the things that you do.

Remember, the reasons for having your guard up doesn’t make it okay to treat people wrong. Instead, it makes it known to the person you’re dating that there are things you’re working on and improving on as you actively work on dating them.

Toxic Dating Habits You Didn’t Know You Had

When you’re dating, it’s easy to see the toxic habits that someone else exhibits. However, it’s much harder to look at yourself in the mirror and see the habits you are exhibiting yourself.

The better you are at identifying your own toxic habits, the easier it will be to work on them and move forward with developing and creating better relationships.