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.

Don’t get too dramatic.
Bad dates can go one of two ways, they can start off as a decent date and then deteriorate into the date from hell due to some comment or action that has the similar effect of finger nails on a blackboard, or they can be repulsive right from the start. You now have two choices on how you want to handle this depending on your mood and how stressed you are but you also need to consider your connection to the person you are with. You may want to handle a blind date set up by a friend or relative differently than someone you are having dinner with that you met via an online dating site. In either even the best course of action is to keep your cool, don’t get overly dramatic or become that person we have all seen turning a quiet restaurant into rowdy soap opera. If the situation goes downhill to the point you cannot stay, then don’t. just try and do it with class and dignity, this is not to say there may not be that horrible date that necessitates heading to the bathroom and just keep going, but those are actually few and far between.

Be Open-minded about your date.
Everyone makes mistakes and finding a good date is not always easy. Remember dating various people often helps you better understand what you like and dislike. It’s much better to go into a date with a new person without any preconceived notions about what a good date is and what a bad date is. Just let it happen and see where it goes, you’ll figure out pretty quickly on which end of the dating spectrum your date is headed.

Focus on positives.
Focus on the things you can control. Take this opportunity to try out a new food or wine if you are at a restaurant. Make mental notes about what you liked for future dates and use this date as a learning experience. There is no reason to be rude if a date is not going well and there is no need to lie to your date and let them think there will be a second date or that you are enchanted by them. Just go with the flow and try to focus on things you can enjoy such as music if there is any or the cuisine.

Decide when to end the date.
Know when to move on and end the date. Let’s be honest, sometimes a date is so confrontational or annoying that you have to put an early end to the date and escape. You will know when that time is and when to head home. Yes, you may seem to have just wasted a few hours of your life but how long should a date last? There is not any set time as you will know when to just smile and move on. Take the lessons you’ve learned and apply them to future dates, and eventually those you agree to date may start having more of the qualities you desire in a partner and less of the annoyances of the bad dates!

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