Beginning to date someone can feel like an emotional roller coaster. The highs of liking somebody, but the lows of waiting for him or her to text you back is the name of the game.
You’re just getting to know that person and you haven’t settled into that comfortable mode yet. It’s an exciting time, but it’s also filled with moments of anxiety, where you are questioning every move. It doesn't feel like a game of chess for everyone. But, for over-thinkers around the world, the first stages of dating can be mentally exhausting.
Let’s not be too proud to admit we’ve been this person from time to time — the over-analyzer.
Below, we take a walk into the mind of person who just started dating someone, and all of the emotional stages that come along with it.
It starts off so nicely with infatuation...
You know that cartoon character with the hearts coming out of its eyes? That’s you. You can’t stop thinking about this person, even though you barely know him/her. You start to build this person up in your mind. Your daydreaming game is strong. You’re thinking, “I bet he or she is thinking of me, too, right now.”
Then you get a little nervous...
He/she called to ask you on a first date. This is where your butterflies turn into nervousness. What if she holds my hands and they're clammy? What if he’s not as cute as I remember? I wish I could just take a Xanax before this date, ahh! Your nerves are on high alert and having a nice glass of wine during dinner has never sounded better. Once your date starts, your nerves will start to die down and all is well with the world again.
Obsessing starts to take place...
If your date went well, you might start to go into obsession mode. I call this the 48-hour waiting game. You watch your phone like it's a bomb, possibly ready to explode. With every passing minute, you’re thinking, “Text me already!” You replay the date over and over in your head. You think, “If I had a good time, so did he, right?” If your date waits a while to reach out, you start to "Serial" that sh*t ... going from the beginning to the end, wondering what you’re missing. You’ve now convinced yourself you’ll never hear from him or her, and you start giving up hope.
Hallelujah! You’ve heard from your date and you feel instant relief...
You can rejoice now! See, you weren’t crazy and you two did have a good time. You feel like you’re on cloud nine — completely reassured. Now you can go back to your daily life and not think about this every second.
Exhaustion starts to set in...
You realize how much time and energy was spent thinking about your date and you’re exhausted now. You hate playing games and you despise this part of dating. Why can’t you just skip this step? Oy vey.
Then back to excitement...
With every cute text you receive from him or her, you are giddy and excited. You send screenshots to your BFF, with, “Isn’t he the cutest?” You two set up another date, and then another one. This is going so well!
You start questioning everything...
Will my friends like him? Do I really want a girlfriend right now? Should I stop dating other people? AHH — too many questions.
You start to relax a bit...
You two start getting a little more comfortable with each other. You can now tell him/her that you love to watch Bravo 24/7. Or you’ve started wearing your comfortable ugly jeans that should probably be thrown away. You like this stage. You’re at ease in this stage.
Obsession starts in to sink in again...
Hello secret wedding Pinterest board. Don’t deny this. You start having thoughts like, “When am I going to meet his friends?” or “I wonder what her sister will think of me?” The future is on your mind and you don't hate it.
Love or hate.
You’ve come to the end of the emotional stages. At this point, you realize you either love or hate this person. You two will either decide to become exclusive or become nothing at all. Either way, you’re just happy this roller coaster of emotions is coming to a stop.
Images: Giphy (10)
