In a couple of days, January will be upon us.
Maybe you’re ready to kickstart your dating life. Perhaps you want to find the One.
“I’d actually be happy just to meet serious options,” said Tina, a 34-year-old reader in Stuttgart.
To get you started, here are 3 steps to create your New Year Dating Plan.
1️⃣ Make a list of your interests. Use Eventbrite and Meetup.com to find live, in-person events. Sign up for 1 event per week to explore those interests. If you, like me, are not drinking right now, forget bars. Look for whatever you actually like to do. You’ll meet new people. They will enlarge your friend group. When they ask you to join them for activities, say “Yes!”
2️⃣ Read “The Relationship Bill of Rights.” Happy marriages need LOTS of communication. Understand your needs. Learn HOW to talk about them.
You can do this without dating!
3️⃣ Create a birth control and STD plan. Do this before you begin to date. I’d actually recommend zero sex before commitment. If you’ve had previous sexual partners (even just 1), get an STD test. They’re free and painless.
The idea of getting tested may seem scary. Most common STDs can be easily cured with over-the-counter medicine.
You’ll have firsthand experience of being tested. You’ll know your health status. And, you’ll feel more comfortable and confident discussing STDs with a potential partner. Do not let someone talk you into no-condom stuff without a STD test, even if you have your birth control in place.
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Comment below and let me know – do you have any events on your calendar for the first week of the year?
xoxo and Happy New Year to you!
