5 Things I Wish I Knew While Dating in My Twenties

Looking back, it’s easy to say I made mistakes while dating in my twenties, but the truth is those errors in judgement were necessary; they showed me what I didn’t want, and helped to become the person I am today.

The hope is always that others can learn from your mistakes, so I’m sharing some tips I wish I’d known while dating in my twenties.

Communication isn’t hard

Okay, so communication is a challenge (like having meaningful emotional tête-à-têtes with your partner) what isn’t hard is writing a text. Come on, we’re always on our phones. If you’re dating someone who just doesn’t respond for hours (or days?) to a text, even if the response is just “super busy, will text you soon”, they’re not worth your time. It takes two seconds.

Listen to Your Friends

This one is tough because when you’re in it, you’re in it, and listening to other people can seem impossible when your heart is beating through your chest and you hear sappy songs in your head 24/7, but your friends love you and they see through the shroud of lust that you’re wrapped up in. Take a moment and listen to your buds and hear out their concerns, they’re coming from a good place and they have the perspective you won’t get a handle on until you’re out of the danger zone that is love.

Trust Your Gut

This one goes hand-in-hand with listening to your friends because when they share a concern, you’ve probably felt it before, but you’ve tucked it deep inside because it’s easier to just keep falling sometimes. But the red flags are there and you’ve seen them, so take note of them, even if you just write them down to come back to when you’re more clear headed (or have a friend to read them with you), your gut knows when something’s amiss, so take a letter.

Don’t Fall for a Ghost

This should be a given, but I’ve fallen for many a Casper in my time; they’re just so cute. But the truth is not so cute and IRL Casper doesn’t become a real dude in the end. If someone ghosts, even though there’s nothing said, it speaks loudly. They’ve still got a ton to figure out, namely how to treat a person as great as you, and you’ve got better things to do with your time than wait around for that ghost to (maybe) reappear.

Respect yourself

Never settle for someone who doesn’t make you a priority, regardless of what point you’re at in dating, you deserve to be of the utmost importance. Because you’re worth it.