Online Dating and Your First Meeting – How to Survive
For several weeks now, you’ve been regularly chatting with a certain interesting someone online and the inevitable time of your first face-to-face meeting has now finally come to fruition. The various emotions you’re feeling range from the absolutely terrified to the completely thrilled. But instead of fretting over your impending situation, relax and remember that this could be the best experience of your entire life – so take the time to fully prepare and forge ahead with an open mind.
Be Prepared
While it should go without saying that you should try to look your best when meeting someone for the first time – especially someone you’re romantically interested in – you might be surprised at the number of singles who report some ridiculous encounters with people who have seemingly forgotten to bathe, brush their teeth, or adequately dress themselves before embarking on a date. While it isn’t necessary to look like you’re heading to the opera (unless you are, of course), you definitely don’t want to look unkempt or seem as if you could care less what the other person thinks of your appearance.
In addition to preparing yourself as far as appearance is concerned, be sure to have everything you’ll need for the night, such as extra money, a credit card, breath mints, aspirin, a spare pair of nylons, or anything else you can think of that you might end up needing while you’re out.
Choosing the Right Meeting Place
Choosing the right meeting place for your first encounter with someone you’ve met online takes a bit of forethought and shouldn’t be decided upon lightly. First, you’ll want to make sure you meet somewhere that’s convenient for you both, somewhere that’s safe – preferably a public place – but also a place that will allow you the chance to get to know each other without any uncomfortable lapses of silence.
The best case scenario would be to have a friend or two be discreetly situated at the restaurant, bar, nightclub, park, movie theater, or wherever you plan on meeting, so that they can keep an eye on things from a distance and be able to intervene should the need arise. Thanks to cell phones, it’s also possible to be completely in touch with others at all times regardless of where you are, so be sure to have one handy just in case.
The First Impression
They say you’ve only got one chance to make a first impression, which is a rather nice way of saying, make sure you’re ready to be given the once-over and sized up within the first few seconds of meeting someone. It’s also said that when you first meet another person, you’re really not meeting them per se, but rather their well-behaved and polite “representative.”
Keeping all of this in mind, it’s up to you decide whether you’re acting like “the real you,” or merely sending out your representative to scope out the situation first. In either case, remember that truly being yourself is always the best choice. After all, isn’t that what you’re expecting – or at least hoping – to get back from the other person in return?