How to Truly Get Yourself Ready for a Relationship

When you’re single and looking for love, it’s not unusual to feel impatient to get out there and find the person of your dreams. But, as anyone who’s had a difficult relationship in the past will testify, rushing into something without knowing what you’re really looking for can be a bad idea.

Take some time to think about what you want, both in terms of the kind of person you want to be with and where you want the next relationship to lead. Are you looking for someone to share nights out and the weekends with, or are you looking for the beginning of your happily ever after? Use our tips to make sure you’re heading on the right path.

Start With You

It’s all very well looking for someone to love, but what about how you feel about yourself? If you have good self-esteem and treat yourself with respect and kindness, you’re more likely to attract a partner who will do the same thing. On the other hand, if you constantly find fault with yourself and criticise different aspects of the way you live your life, others will do that too. So start by checking up on your levels of self-worth. Treating yourself to pleasurable experiences like having a massage or buying a new outfit will give you a boost. Enjoy being you before you start looking for someone to be with.

Be Clear About What You Want

You might have a dream partner in your mind; the kind of person you’ve always imagined you’d be with. Their looks, their background, the kind of career they have - all of these things might have featured on your ideal mate checklist in the past. But instead of thinking of all the boxes your potential partner has to tick, why not focus instead of how you want to feel when you’re in the perfect relationship and the kind of life you imagine living with a significant other?

Sometimes, we might not really know what we want, and speaking to an objective third party can be helpful in deciding what we’re looking for. Many people have a psychic reading when they’re looking for love. A reading can help you understand what’s important to you, and give you insights on what kind of person you might enjoy being with or who can truly improve your life at this moment and the future. Another advantage of using a psychic reading is that they can be anonymous and objective - unlike when you discuss your love life with your friends, whose advice will not always be 100% unbiased, even if that's simply because they love you.

Make Yourself Available

It’s no good just waiting for an ideal partner to show up. You need to let the world know you’re in the market for love. Body language is really important here. You need to demonstrate that you’re a welcoming and warm individual. Don’t walk with your head bowed, or your earphones in. This makes you look unapproachable and not willing to communicate. Walk with your head held high, making eye contact with people that you pass. Relax your shoulders and be generous with your smiles. Take note of who smiles back at you!

Of course, you’re unlikely to just pass the person you’re meant to be with on the street, though it could happen! But think about ways you might meet new people. Consider joining a dating site, or think about any friends who might be able to set you up on a date or just introduce you to a new group of people. Go out more - you never know who you might meet when you’re just out having fun with friends.

Allow for the Element of Surprise

You may have thought about the kind of person you’d like to date or be in a relationship with, but don’t be too fixed in your ideas. Be open to the idea of meeting someone who doesn’t meet some or any of your criteria, but for some reason, there’s that special spark when you get talking to them - that magnetic force of attraction. Think about your friends who are in relationships: are they are all paired up with the kind of person you imagined they’d be with? Probably not, and why should it be any different for you?

There’s no telling when or how you’ll meet that special person, but the important thing is not to try and force it. At some point, everything will fall into place and you’ll find them. Just enjoy the journey that takes you to that moment.


Photo Credit: "self-esteem" (CC BY 2.0) by Key Foster