Shy Girl Dating Tips

To some women dating is a breeze but to others dating might be a battlefield you feel like you're just not prepared for. Guess what? Being a shy gal, I definitely relate to the latter of the two. I recently started dating again a few months ago after going through some malarkey with an ex. I recently met a really cool guy and in my opinion our first date was a FAIL. He was perfect but my shyness definitely got the best of me. I was so willing to throw in the towel and call a spade a spade. The date wasn't the greatest and I didn't blame him for losing interest. Buttt.....  PLOT TWIST - my friend convinced me to save face by being straight up with him and tell him sorry if I seemed shy and that my nerves got the best of me. He totally understood and is looking forward to our next date.

With all that being said, I wanted to share a few dating tips from one shy girl to another. Some of these are my own tips and some are tips I found from other sources. I hope these tips come in handy for your next date!

Suggest an active date instead of the clique dinner & movie 

Going bowling, to a painting class, or game center allows for you to get to know him without the interview-ish vibe. You'll actually have something to talk about other random questions back and forth. Plus it will let him know you're fun and can go with the flow. Both of you will be more relaxed and hopefully have a kick-ass time :)

Do your research before the date

I'm not saying be a stalker and check out every social media he has signed up for, but a quick glance at his Facebook likes won't hurt. Knowing a little bit about him before your date will help with conversation starters and allow for the conversation to keep flowing. Plus you'll already know what you have in common with him and possibly get extra brownie points for suggesting other things he might like. NOTE: just make sure you don't expose your creepin' ways! lol 

Two and done!

You might feel like a drink will relax your nerves. It probably will honestly. Just make sure you have no more than 2 drinks and I'm not talking about cup fulls of hard liquor either. You don't want to give off that alcoholic vibe when really you're just shy and want to loosen up. If you feel like you need a little bit of liquid courage order a glass of wine or margarita. You'll appear coooool but won't be a tipsy fool halfway into your date. 

Eat like a normal person!!

OMG ladies, I know none of us want anyone to see our true eating habits lol. I'm talking about both elbows on the table, sauce dripping down your chin madness but ordering a salad when you really want the pasta is just stoopidd! If you really want to eat it don't feel embarrassed. Odds are he will probably think you're ore weird for ordering lettuce with a side of air than just ordering what you want to eat. However, be cautious of sloppy foods. Chili cheese dogs and BBQ ribs might not be the best choice for the first few dates. Lastly, don't get a doggy bag afterwards. Carrying around a box of food for the remainder of the date = looking and feeling awkward. 

Be yourself!!

I tried to come off as someone I wasn't and ended up almost ruining the date. Just be yourself. If you are naturally quirky then be that! Nothing will kill the date more than not being yourself and feeling self conscious the entire time. If he really likes you he'll keep talking to you. If he doesn't then there are plenty of fish in the sea baby that would love to get to know the real you. 

Brush your shoulders off

As I mentioned above, there are wayyyy more guys out there that are willing to cherish you and give you the love you deserve. You might have to go through a few bad dates to get to them but just remember the problem is NOT you. Sometimes 2 people look great on paper but end up not having that much chemistry in person and that is OK! Just brush your shoulders off and get back out there. Being shy, it might seem easier to turn into yourself and give up but guess what honey? That ain't gonna solve your problems! You might just have to reevaluate how you're meeting your dates and maybe start going places you really love and chatting up the cutie doing the same :)

I really hope my tips can be of some help. I'm a shy girl trying to navigate this dating scene and it truly helps to have a few tricks up your sleeves. If any of you have dating tips/advice feel free to post them in the comments!!