While dating can be fun and exciting, it can also lead to a lot of uncomfortable or embarrassing situations. Although these situations are fun to tell your friends about later, they can be so traumatizing that you don’t want to encounter them again. For this reason, some people get stuck in a dating rut. They do what’s comfortable, what they know, and they don’t venture outside of their comfort zone. However, there are lots of reasons to push yourself.
Here are the benefits of leaving your dating comfort zone:
1. More opportunities and possibilities
You probably have a list of qualities that your ideal partner should have. When you meet someone who doesn’t have all of these qualities, you may think that you should pass them up. However, being too picky could cost you to miss out on some fun, interesting people. They may take you to do things that you had no idea you would like, or teach you things you didn’t know. But, if you completely close yourself off, or limit yourself too much, you’ll miss these opportunities.
2. You may find that your “type” isn’t your type
If you date a specific type of person, or people who all have similar qualities, you’re limiting yourself. Of course, it can be hard to start dating someone completely different from the type of person that you usually date. But, by doing so, you may find that you love something that you didn’t know about before, or that something doesn’t bug you as much as you thought it would. You stand to benefit from dating outside of your “type” because your tastes may actually change.
3. You’ll learn about yourself
You interact with different people in different ways. It doesn’t mean that you’re changing in order to interact with them, or that you’re not being true to yourself. Instead, it means that we’re all complex. While some actions make one person comfortable, they may not make every person comfortable. What one person likes, another detests. So, interacting with different types of people gives you the opportunity to see many different sides of yourself, some of which you may not have even known existed.
4. You’ll learn what you DON’T want
By stepping outside your comfort zone, you’re going to have some bad interactions. You’ll find activities and places that you detest and people that you never want to meet again. But, this doesn’t have to be a bad thing. You didn’t like speed dating? You don’t like guys who can’t hold conversation with you or participate in deep conversations? Well, at least now you know. Knowing what you don’t want and what you don’t like helps you to understand what you do like and want in a relationship.
5. You’ll get some practice at being vulnerable
This doesn’t sound like a good thing if you’re not used to being vulnerable, or are afraid of it. But, sometimes opening up takes practice. To be truly comfortable with someone, you’ll need to answer some uncomfortable questions and reveal some things about yourself that you’d probably rather not. You’ll definitely need to be able to be open and honest with your ideal mate, so why not practice on your potential mates?
Conclusion:
Your ideal mate is out there somewhere. But, you’ll never find that person if you keep looking in the same place or if you keep looking for the same type of person. So, get out there and step out of your dating comfort zone!