Still, some find that they fear online dating because it puts too much personal information out there for strangers, or that it otherwise sets them up to meet unpleasant or unappealing matches. The truth is, though, that online dating is as safe and enjoyable as any other form of dating, as long as you pick the right site, put some effort into meeting the right matches, and practice safety when meeting in person for the first time.

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Learn why people trust wikiHow. Categories Relationships Dating Online Dating How to Overcome a Fear of Online Dating. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Tips and Warnings.

Related Articles. Co-authored by Sarah Schewitz, PsyD Last Updated: January 24, References. Part 1. Evaluate the numbers. If your fear of online dating springs from the idea that people will think less of you for using a website to meet a potential partner, remind yourself of the facts. It is a safe and common way to meet others. Make a list of reasons you're valuable. Help build your self-worth by creating a list of things you like about yourself, or that make you worth-while.

Include things you like about your life, your job, your personality, and your appearance. It can be difficult to get this list started, so try asking yourself, "What would my best friend say is my best quality? If you are body-conscious, try to find at least one thing you like about your appearance. Tell yourself, "I have amazing eyes," and try to focus on that feature that you like rather than what you dislike.

Remind yourself of compliments you have received in the past about your eyes and write these down. If you are not currently happy with the course of your life or your career, remind yourself that there is still good in what you do. Tell yourself, "I can pay my bills and I can find the humor in small things, and that makes my life worthwhile, just as it is.

Eventually, the positive thinking becomes inherent. Brush off rejection. The biggest fear in online dating is the biggest fear people have when dating in general: getting rejected. Remind yourself that if you do not hear back from a potential match, or if your match expresses that they are not interested in you, try not to dwell on the rejection. Remember that rejection is a sign that you are stepping outside of your comfort zone. This could get you blocked or your account suspended, and it will not bring you any closer to having a meaningful relationship.

Tell yourself, "Maybe they decided to get serious with someone they already met. The best way to get past rejection is to meet someone new.

Send a message to someone else and work on finding a connection elsewhere. Part 2. Accept your fear. It's alright to have some apprehensions about online dating, just as it is with any form of dating. The challenge is not to eliminate your fear, but to acknowledge it and find ways to work through it. For each reason, write out a worst-case-scenario. For example, you might be afraid of rejection, and the worst case may be that a match ridicules you for thinking you had a chance with them.

For each negative scenario, find a way to overcome it. Let yourself know that someone who ridicules you for approaching them is not worth your time or love, and that you are better off not inviting that kind of negativity into your life. Set goals. Dating, by its very nature, can involve a lot of emotions very quickly. To avoid becoming swept up in something emotional but not right for you, set goals from the beginning. Decide if you are looking for a serious or casual relationship, and whether you want monogamy or would like to date around.

If you meet a great person who wants a serious relationship while you are looking for something casual, don't assume you can change them. Stick to your goals and move on. Avoid making your goals too rigid. Use them as a guideline for what you want overall, but try to avoid goals like, "I would like to be married within two years. Take care of yourself. You are more likely to feel good about getting involved with someone else when you feel good about your relationship with yourself.

Practice daily self-care, which can include anything from exercise to time to meditate. This may include daily exercise, cooking healthy or satisfying meals, seeing friends or family, or anything else that makes you feel like you are doing the best possible things for you.

Take some time to indulge, as well. Sure, there are a lot of bad apples out there. But there are also a whole lot of successful, diverse, and kind-hearted singles populating the space as well. Online dating grows every single day and will only continue to increase in popularity due to the technology based world we now live in. Anyone who would judge you for being on a dating site is not worth your time. Did you hear about that woman last summer who got kidnapped on a first date and fed to wild animals?

The reality is, online dating horror stories are so rare that they are almost negligible. If somebody is a bit off, it will usually be easily identifiable when you view their profile or email.

The worst case scenario is almost always nothing more than a bad date with no chemistry. And as frustrating as bad dates can feel, I promise you that when you find the right person, you will look back on those dates with fond memories as a fun and crazy time in your life. To this day many women are hesitant to initiate conversations online.

Perhaps you are traditional or perhaps you fear that doing so will will make you appear desperate. While it is completely understandable that you might prefer to be approached first, I would strongly advise changing this mindset. Doing so often saves my clients months, and sometimes even years of being single online. This is because the most in demand singles usually lead very busy lives. The more busy they are, the less time they have to browse online dating sites, perform searches, and initiate conversations of their own.

By making the first move, you are putting yourself directly in front of the people you want to attract, and drastically increasing your odds of scoring a desirable date. Believe me, I get it. I highly recommend writing these things down as part of the brainstorming phase. Just free write. Pretend you are having a conversation with a friend and simply write how you speak. Just write. Once you stop writing, then you can go back, edit, provide some structure, and fine tune the details.

If you still have no idea what to write, one of my most popular Huffington Post articles can be found here , which will teach you 7 online dating profile tips that will make you the type of woman others will practically fight over online. Or you can read this article that will teach you how the best online dating profiles market themselves. I assure you, the New York Times will not be reviewing and dissecting your every word.

Neither will your potential dates. My best advice when you write emails is to focus on a commonality that the two of you share or something the other person is passionate about. If you can be playful as well with your message, even better. Meeting online is not lame. Romantic comedies where people bump into each other in a random location, hate each others guts at first, start to like each other, fall in love, have a big misunderstanding, realize they had a big misunderstanding, get married, and live happily ever after.

Just about nobody has a truly memorable where we met story. And even if you do have a memorable story, nobody else is really going to care all that much.

Last Updated: January 24, References. This article was co-authored by Sarah Schewitz, PsyD. Sarah Schewitz, Psy. is a licensed clinical psychologist by the California Board of Psychology with over 10 years of experience.

She received her Psy. from the Florida Institute of Technology in She is the founder of Couples Learn, an online psychology practice helping couples and individuals improve and change their patterns in love and relationships.

There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 35, times. Online dating is an increasingly common way to meet new potential romantic partners. Still, some find that they fear online dating because it puts too much personal information out there for strangers, or that it otherwise sets them up to meet unpleasant or unappealing matches.

The truth is, though, that online dating is as safe and enjoyable as any other form of dating, as long as you pick the right site, put some effort into meeting the right matches, and practice safety when meeting in person for the first time.

Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue. wikiHow Account. No account yet? Create an account. Courses Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article. Quizzes Contribute Train Your Brain Game Best of wikiHow. Popular Categories. Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies. Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks.

Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health. Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues. Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games. Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene. Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating. All Categories. Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes. Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel. Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth. Support wikiHow Community Dashboard Write an Article Request a New Article More Ideas Edit this Article.

Courses New Tech Help Pro New Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Coupons Quizzes Upgrade Sign In. Home Random Browse Articles Courses Quizzes New Train Your Brain New Improve Your English New Support wikiHow About wikiHow Easy Ways to Help Approve Questions Fix Spelling More Things to Try We use cookies to make wikiHow great.

By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Categories Relationships Dating Online Dating How to Overcome a Fear of Online Dating. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Co-authored by Sarah Schewitz, PsyD Last Updated: January 24, References.

Part 1. Evaluate the numbers. If your fear of online dating springs from the idea that people will think less of you for using a website to meet a potential partner, remind yourself of the facts. It is a safe and common way to meet others. Make a list of reasons you're valuable. Help build your self-worth by creating a list of things you like about yourself, or that make you worth-while. Include things you like about your life, your job, your personality, and your appearance.

It can be difficult to get this list started, so try asking yourself, "What would my best friend say is my best quality? If you are body-conscious, try to find at least one thing you like about your appearance. Tell yourself, "I have amazing eyes," and try to focus on that feature that you like rather than what you dislike. Remind yourself of compliments you have received in the past about your eyes and write these down.

If you are not currently happy with the course of your life or your career, remind yourself that there is still good in what you do. Tell yourself, "I can pay my bills and I can find the humor in small things, and that makes my life worthwhile, just as it is. Eventually, the positive thinking becomes inherent. Brush off rejection. The biggest fear in online dating is the biggest fear people have when dating in general: getting rejected.

Remind yourself that if you do not hear back from a potential match, or if your match expresses that they are not interested in you, try not to dwell on the rejection. Remember that rejection is a sign that you are stepping outside of your comfort zone.

This could get you blocked or your account suspended, and it will not bring you any closer to having a meaningful relationship. Tell yourself, "Maybe they decided to get serious with someone they already met. The best way to get past rejection is to meet someone new. Send a message to someone else and work on finding a connection elsewhere.

Part 2. Accept your fear. It's alright to have some apprehensions about online dating, just as it is with any form of dating. The challenge is not to eliminate your fear, but to acknowledge it and find ways to work through it. For each reason, write out a worst-case-scenario. For example, you might be afraid of rejection, and the worst case may be that a match ridicules you for thinking you had a chance with them.

For each negative scenario, find a way to overcome it. Let yourself know that someone who ridicules you for approaching them is not worth your time or love, and that you are better off not inviting that kind of negativity into your life. Set goals. Dating, by its very nature, can involve a lot of emotions very quickly.

To avoid becoming swept up in something emotional but not right for you, set goals from the beginning. Decide if you are looking for a serious or casual relationship, and whether you want monogamy or would like to date around. If you meet a great person who wants a serious relationship while you are looking for something casual, don't assume you can change them.

Stick to your goals and move on. Avoid making your goals too rigid. Use them as a guideline for what you want overall, but try to avoid goals like, "I would like to be married within two years.

Take care of yourself. You are more likely to feel good about getting involved with someone else when you feel good about your relationship with yourself. Practice daily self-care, which can include anything from exercise to time to meditate. This may include daily exercise, cooking healthy or satisfying meals, seeing friends or family, or anything else that makes you feel like you are doing the best possible things for you.

Take some time to indulge, as well. If you have had a particularly difficult day, for example, rather than letting the stress follow you home, take time to relax and pamper yourself that evening. This helps let you know that you are worth-it.

Part 3. Look for a specialized site. If the thought of thousands of people having access to your profile makes you nervous, look for a compatibility-based site. These sites use algorithms to match you with compatible members, and only those members can see your profile.

Be specific. Online dating offers you the unique opportunity to get to know someone before you actually meet them. Highlight your personality. Think about those first-date facts, the details you would use to set you apart when you first meet someone, and put them in your profile.

Post one picture.

This is a sad state of mind, and I think it is all too common. Online dating grows every single day and will only continue to increase in popularity due to the technology based world we now live in. By making the first move, you are putting yourself directly in front of the people you want to attract, and drastically increasing your odds of scoring a desirable date. True, there is a lot of evidence of people lying about their age, weight, or wealth. Believe me, I get it. This helps let you know that you are worth-it.

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