It seems that the period from a few weeks after Valentine’s Day to the end of spring is notorious for bad break-ups. Hearts get broken, as do car windows and various other inanimate objects, as couples split and angry break-ups dominate the social circles. Many say that success is the best revenge, which is usually true but revenge is often a dish best served cold, and you have the time from spring to early summer for getting over a relationship and perhaps toss in a bit of payback while enjoying the summer.

Don’t Panic.

The first thing you need to remember as the date is progressing is not to panic! Take a few minutes for yourself in the restroom and calm yourself down. Remember that this is just a first date and even though it is also probable the last date with that person, it is still just a small chunk of time out of your life. Dating is a process and if you don’t have any bad dates you might have a hard time really identifying a good date as it happens. Keep everything in perspective.

Aside from all the larger than life inappropriate workplace dating scenarios that bombard us on a daily basis courtesy of our cable television provider, workplace romances do take place and unfortunately can make for a very awkward environment for those involved. The work environment is constructed for….well, work! And many companies have a specific workplace dating policy in their employee handbooks explicitly addressing office romances.

Ah, the excitement before the first date, weird butterfly sensations, just like the emotions preceding that of an opening of a present, and just like that present, a date is unpredictable. The first date, lays the path to a new relation, be it a friendship or perhaps something deeper or nothing at all. Different types of first dates lead to different beginnings, and it all starts with the expectations. First date questionnaires are obviously out of the question, or even a copy of their profile in case you’ve met online, perhaps a thing of the future, maybe not.

Wanting – a universal feeling that gets us in trouble, most of the time. For instance, drinking, how many times have you ever told yourself : I will never do this again and how many times have you broken that promise?! Shopping, same concept, how many times have you returned these items afterwards?! Men, there is nothing wrong with WANTING a man, the tricky part is to make him WANT you. It seems to me that the question “How to make a man want a woman” is basically “How to be the perfect woman”. Since perfection is subjective, a perfect woman is simply put “mythical” just like “the ivory girl” from the Greek mythology.

Has a friend or family member ever mentioned that they have just the perfect person for you? It really doesn’t matter if they know what your type is or not, just the fact that mutual friends are pushing someone on you usually makes a person shake in their boots in terror. To avoid an awkward situation you consider going on a blind date with their person of choice but with extremely limited expectations to avoid and possible disappointment. If you have ever gone on a date from someone you met through an online profile you kind of understand how it feels, if not, let’s take a few moments to go over some important facts when asking the question… how do blind dates work?

Small talk (also known as chit chat) is conversation that is strictly kept light between people who really do not know each other well enough to engage in more “heavier” topics.

Such is the case of those individuals who suffer from a condition called Social Anxiety Disorder (or SAD for short). This type of disorder can make small talk an extremely anxiety producing action. Although there are different methods to extinguish or lessen this form of anxiety, a good method is to prepare for topics that are most likely to come up during normal small talk. You have to do a little homework, which in turn, will help boost your confidence level.

Since time began men and women have been desperately trying to figure out the best ways to get noticed by one another, and have always come away with mixed results. Men may seem too aggressive if they make the first move yet a woman may seem almost desperate if she initiates contact. It always seems that the more attractive the woman, the less chance of her initiating the process of getting to know each other. But here are 5 reasons why a woman should make the first move on a man, in no specific order:

Most people will tell you that the only way to get over a bad breakup is time, and to some extent that may be true, however there are many other ways to make that passage of time less painful. Whether you believe this pain manifests itself in a physical or mental way, it will pass, but only if you help the process along.

There will be friends and family that will tell you that this is only freeing you up for your next great relationship and that as the song says “some of god’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers”, but to you this will sound like a load of crap, as your mind will be telling you that you have lost the greatest love of your life. This could be true, but usually it isn’t as break-ups happen for a reason and in reality the other person (or yourself) has done you a favor by ripping the band off and allowing the two of you to move on with your lives, separately.

Don’t go to the movies!

Many people have the perception that asking someone out to a movie on a first date is the normal thing to do. You ask if they’d like to grab some dinner and see a movie. We have seen this take place in movies and television throughout the decades, and as such believe that this traditional method works well. It doesn’t. Don’t get me wrong, it will get you out on the first date, but the chances are that this date might not go as you had planned. The only time that you may want to take this approach and ask someone to the movies on a first date is if they are already a friend, or someone you have known for a long time. Think about what may be awkward about this situation.