Searching for a partner in your fifties can be a great experience for a number of reasons. Many people grow more comfortable in their skin as they get older and have a better idea of what they are looking for in a partner. A recent survey found 60% of over-50 daters say they make better decisions about compatibility than when they were younger.
However, dating can present plenty of challenges if you’ve not been single for a long time, especially because the dating landscape has changed so much in the past decade. Even if you’ve been dating on and off through the years, the modern dating world can present many of unexpected – and unpleasant – experiences.
The most significant change you may come up against is just how much the modern dating scene has changed due to the prevalence of dating apps and chatting online. It can bear no resemblance to how you had been used to meeting people and can be bewildering to encounter for the first time. The bad behaviour and commitment issues you can encounter on the apps can be an unwelcome challenge to navigate.
The good news is you can best prepare yourself for the dating world by taking into account some hard-won advice from daters who have been in your shoes. Despite the changed landscape, there is so much to enjoy in embarking on a search for love. Read on for our top tips for ensuring you’ll really enjoy meeting new people and get the most out of every single date.
Be content with being single: It’s important to be secure in who you are before you start searching for love. Ensure you are ready to meet somebody rather than craving it because you are lonely. There are many benefits to being single, including privacy, independence and sharing great relationships with friends and family, so make the most of this time until you feel you are truly ready to date. It’s much better to have a fulfilling single life than settling for somebody who doesn’t set your world alight. It can take time to rebuild confidence after a bad break-up so really take the time to find your feet again before you jump into dating.
Don’t be afraid of online dating: You may be new to the apps, but using online dating for the first time can be a great way to introduce you to people you never would have come across in real life. Keep the conservation to the dating app – be wary of anybody who tries to get you to leave the site to chat elsewhere away from the moderation policies and monitoring of the team behind the app. Really pay attention to what the person is saying. What people do and say online often reflects how they’ll behave offline so keep an eye out for red flags. Be wary if it appears they are attempting to cover up something in their photo, such as wearing hats, sunglasses or posing miles away from the camera, as they may be concealing something. There are apps specialising in over-fifties dating or you may find the mainstream big names work best for you. Decide what you want from the experience and search for likeminded people, whether it’s for something more casual or a committed relationship.
Don’t get hung up on baggage: You’ve both probably been through some big things in your life at this point, including perhaps health issues, horrific exes, and a string of awful dates. However, the first date is not the time to share them. The first few dates should be used to suss out the person’s personality, seeing what you’ve got in common and deciding if you are both curious enough about each other to take things further. Bonding over baggage is not a great way to get to know each other and should be saved until you know each other better.
Work with a matchmaker: If you are looking for support and expertise to get your dating journey on track, it can really pay to work with a matchmaker. They can take all the hard work out of finding somebody special, working hard to understand what you are looking for and actively making introductions to amazing people. Here at Ignite Dating we headhunt suitable matches, leaving you free to enjoy an easy and stress-free search for love.
If you’d like a helping hand to get your dating journey on the track for success, then give the experts at Ignite a call today
