Dating in Miami and the Anxiety that Can Come with It
Dating in Miami and the Anxiety that Can Come with It
First of All, What is the term “Dating Anxiety?”
Dating anxiety is a form of anxiety that occurs when people struggle with putting themselves out there to strangers for a multitude of reasons such as negative past dating or relationship experiences, fear of being judged, fear of being rejected, struggling with body image issues, struggling with financial stability, or even lack of experience. “How exactly does this help me with dating in Miami?” you might be wondering.
With so many options to meet people, both physically and now virtually (yes, I’m talking about the swipe left and swipe right apps), the dating scene in Miami can seem intimidating, and maybe you’ve even tried your luck at it. If you scroll through Reddit threads of people sharing their experiences, you may be discouraged to read about people attempting to try dating in Miami only to be met with dates with people who exhibit superficial characteristics, maybe only caring about money, status, power, and “who are you?” Maybe some people here don’t fit the “mold” or “standard” of what you’d want in a long-term partner. Maybe you find that some people just seem uninterested in pursuing a long-term relationship and would rather date casually or do hook-ups.
Tips on Managing Dating Anxiety in Miami
Rethink Your Expectations of a “Date” or Even Who to Date
Not every date in Miami has to be at a bar, restaurant, or nightclub. And not everyone we meet has to be from these places either. It’s totally ok if they are, but Miami has other activities and interests for you to potentially meet someone that doesn’t also completely break the bank nor has to be a social life centered on alcohol and club promotions. Joining various activity clubs or intramural sports teams, getting involved in community events, and even joining various types of gyms (such as yoga, pilates, boxing, jujitsu, etc.) can be other ways to meet a community while also helping you bring joy and fulfillment to your life.
Think About You and What You Want
As cheesy as this may sound, it really does help to know yourself and what you want. Now, this doesn’t mean that you need to know whether or not you want marriage right away and tell someone on the first date about this. Every date you go on, or every person you date, is helping you discover what you want (and most of the time) don’t want in a partner. Not everyone is going to be “the One,” and that’s OK!
Minimize People Pleasing Behaviors
Sometimes, it’s easier to “go with the flow” of what someone else wants or decides, or it’s easy to feel that we want to do everything for a partner in the beginning. Especially when meeting new people or investing in a new relationship, we may tend to slowly do what someone else wants or choose to avoid our own feelings and needs due to the fear of rejection. In the long-term, this is kind of “giving the OK” for people-pleasing behaviors to occur. When this happens, we often end up not getting what we want and deserve, AND we can sometimes indirectly create resentment toward our partners for failure to meet our uncommunicated or unprioritized needs. Minimizing people-pleasing behaviors allows you to stop always worrying about someone else’s needs and focus on what you want and for you to actually enjoy yourself in the relationship.
Invest in Yourself
Investing in yourself, I think, may be one of the most important things you can do in life even through dating and eventually finding a long-term partner. It’s extremely hard for us to be able to adequately support someone fully, let alone love someone fully if we aren’t supporting and loving ourselves in the first place. While self-care is important to practice (and I will tell you in every session that absolutely you should be doing this), this also means being honest with our own shortcomings and learning how to improve ourselves to move forward. My clients know I repeat this phrase over and over again in sessions: “It takes two to tango.” Sometimes, we need that “glass shattering” hard truth moment to know where we have contributed to our situation - whether or not we’ve engaged in problematic behaviors ourselves or enabled problematic behavior from someone else to continue by not being secure with ourselves and our boundaries.
Start Working With an Anxiety Therapist in Miami, FL
Dating in Miami can still be tricky. But I promise, you aren’t alone in this feeling. Sometimes, we need to take a step back and regroup, working and improving ourselves. Our team of caring therapists would be happy to offer support in Miami, FL, and across the state. If you’re feeling as though you may need extra help in finding support around anxiety in dating or wanting to invest more in yourself, follow these simple steps to start your therapy journey with Miami Vibes Counseling Center:
Contact us to schedule a session
Meet with one of our caring therapists
Start overcoming dating anxiety!
Other Services Offered with Miami Vibes Counseling Center
Anxiety therapy isn’t the only service offered by Miami Vibes Counseling. Other mental health services include CBT, ACT, TF-CBT, and parenting support. In addition, we are happy to offer treatment for depression, stress, trauma, grief, and life transitions. Our team is happy to provide support for couples, infidelity, children, and families. Learn more about our other services including ESA letters, support for business or employment stress, spirituality, and online therapy. Visit our blog or FAQs page for more helpful info today!
