10 Signs You’re Emotionally Exhausted from Dating

If you’re serious about finding The One, dating is even more painful than when you’re just trying to have fun. It requires emotional preparation and constant effort that can be totally draining. Here are 10 signs that you’ve been out on too many dates and you probably need a break away from the dating game:

1. You see good traits in someone and they no longer mean anything to you. Even when you’re with a guy who has traits that are definitely on the top of your list, it doesn’t get you at all excited. You just expect him to eventually turn out to be a weirdo/freak/jerk, so you never get your hopes up anymore. You might be out with the man of your dreams, but you wouldn’t know it. Dating too many wrong guys has clouded your judgment and has made you see red flags everywhere — even where there aren’t any.
2. You’re ready to move on to the next guy for no reason. You meet a guy you like who has potential, yet by next day, you’re ready to hit Tinder again. You’re not sure why, really; it just feels natural to keep looking, and looking, and looking since you’re not used to finding anyone that sticks. You’re in a vicious dating cycle that you need to break ASAP.
3. You aren’t sure what you’re supposed to be looking for. When you go out with a new guy, you aren’t sure anymore if you two are a match or not. Are you supposed to be swept off your feet? Feel relieved that he has a job or that he isn’t a weirdo? It feels like your once clear priorities are now messed up after years of pointless dating. You need a long break from it all to figure out what you’re looking for.
4. A nice guy texts you and you forget to reply. The guy you went out with for drinks a few days ago has texted you again and you’re actually really pleased to hear from him. Yet, you somehow forget to reply, a sign that your brain’s hard disc has already begun self-destroying important files. Or, maybe it’s just your subconscious screaming that it’s time to give up because you’ve just had enough.
5. You act like you don’t give AF on dates. Without having any intention of doing so, you see yourself behaving like you’re out with your BFF and not on a date. You say whatever crosses your mind, you burp at the table and you basically don’t even think of making a good first impression. It all comes naturally as a result of having zero emotional reserves to make the slightest effort to look nice in front of a guy.
6. A hot guy wants to hang out at your place and you lie that you’re busy. This really hot guy wants to hang out, yet all you think about is that changing your bed sheets is a job way too physically demanding to be bothered. So, you come up with a lie that you already have plans and instead spend the evening cuddling with a bucket of pop corn in front of the TV.
7. You show up on dates in sneakers and hair in a ponytail. You go out with a new guy wearing the same things you wear when you go out to throw the garbage. Sure, not all dates are in expensive bars or restaurants, but zero effort is hard to disguise. Your emotional exhaustion shows in the way you present yourself — you’ve clearly lost all faith in love.
8. Your mind wanders off for a really long time when a guy speaks to you. You just keep nodding and nodding to his recent Mexico holiday story, yet you haven’t really been paying attention to what he says for the last 15 minutes. You can only hear a noise coming out of his mouth, while you stare off into nothingness.
9. It just feels more and more that they’re all the same. The feeling that dating is pointless, and that all guys are the same keeps growing each day. Even though you don’t want to turn into this resentful, man-bashing chick, it seems there’s no other way. You need a long break away from guys, love expectations, and dating in general.
10. Your friend asks you how your recent date went and you can’t be bothered to make a comment.  You just feel like you’ve already covered the topic of your dating life, and there’s nothing new to add. When your BFF wants to know last night’s hot details, you have a “meh” reaction. That doesn’t refer so much to the guy in particular, but your dating life in general. You’re in a dating rut, so you need to take time off and do things that you really enjoy, which will make you believe in love again.