As the saying goes, the most important relationship in your life is the one you have with yourself. Being single is an opportunity to give yourself some time and attention.

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Is there a hobby you've always wanted to try? A book you've been meaning to read for forever? Sushi restaurants you never went to because your old partner didn't like fish? You finally get to do all those things. Whether it's saying yes to a second date after an underwhelming first one or putting up with disrespectful behavior, settling for candidates who aren't a good match for you is a huge red flag.

You won't be ready for your next love until you're over your last one, and keeping an old SO as a BFF might be an obstacle to truly getting over them. Setting some boundaries could be crucial to moving on. After a breakup, it's easy to want to rush back into dating again—or swear off love forever.

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However, as Colby says, "You can never plan on who you will date or who you will meet, but you have to keep an open mind and you cannot shut yourself off to people just because of one bad breakup experience. When not editing, writing, or pitching articles, she's probably at brunch or the library. Skip to main content. You constantly compare everyone to your ex Whether you use your ex as a golden standard or scrutinize potential beaus for their old annoying habits, this is a major sign that you still have a lot of baggage from your last relationship.

You feel like you NEED to be dating someone This means you're looking for someone to fill a role, not someone to fall for—or maybe you're embarrassed by being single, especially if your ex has already found someone new.

You change yourself to be what you think the other person wants It's one thing to compromise on which restaurant you two head to Friday night, but it's another to undergo an Invasion of the Body Snatchers -style transformation on the first date. You've lost yourself As the saying goes, the most important relationship in your life is the one you have with yourself.

You're settling Whether it's saying yes to a second date after an underwhelming first one or putting up with disrespectful behavior, settling for candidates who aren't a good match for you is a huge red flag. After all, you are a good person and you did not deserve the pain that you are going through.

10 Ways To Tell If You Are Ready To Date Again | HuffPost

Sadly however, many choose to stay "in the angry" or "in the bitter" to the point that they are unable or unwilling to move forward from a place of pain to a place of peace. The resolution of lingering anger is an important step before the resumption of dating.

We all tend to have "selective amnesia" when it comes to our previous relationships; remembering only the good in the people no longer in our lives and the wonderful memories that we will have always. That's fine of course -- but don't use the previous person as a "yardstick" against which you are measuring prospective dates.

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For example, it is unfair to start sentences with, "Joe always used to By all means, honor, keep and treasure the beautiful memories that you have; however, in order to both be fair to and enjoy someone new, you need to be able to put the Ghost of Relationship Past in its proper place. Are you content with yourself on your own without being one-half of a couple or dependent upon children to fill up your time?

This means a life that is yours alone; a life that is individually gratifying in its own right. Do you have your own career, your own hobbies, your own pursuits, your own set of friends with whom you play sports, lunch, drink or dine? When you sincerely enjoy your life as an individual, you are genuinely ready to begin the dating process again.

10 Ways To Tell If You Are Ready To Date Again

Rather than simply trying to fill the huge void left by a spouse; you are instead opening your heart to the possibilities of a new relationship that will complement an already-fulfilling life. The companion element to being happy on your own is the ability to go out alone and enjoy yourself. Have you been out to dinner by yourself?

How about a movie, a concert or a comedy club? It really isn't as scary as it sounds. As a society, we are accustomed to either traveling in packs or with a spouse or significant other; however, you must be content with your own company both within your four walls and in the outside world. This contentment will enable you to make wise decisions in your dating choices and when you do choose to introduce someone new into your life, it will be for all of the right reasons.

I once dated a man who had not recovered from being broken up with in high school -- 30 years earlier. This gentleman made a conscious decision to be emotionally unavailable to anyone else because of one prior bad experience in high school, no less. Your emotional availability will have everything to do with two things; the amount of time that you have spent recovering from your divorce or the death of your spouse and your willingness to make yourself emotionally available.

Examine yourself carefully and ask yourself if you are capable of making yourself emotionally available to another. If you do not feel quite ready yet, take a step back, remember that "today" does not mean "forever" and take more time out for you. We have all been cheated on, lied to, taken advantage of and otherwise treated shabbily by those who lack integrity, honesty, moral decency, gainful employment or good hygiene.

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Should you learn from your past experiences in order to avoid repeating history? Should you automatically suspect everyone you meet in the future based upon what has happened in the past? To make the unilateral decision that, " All men lie and cheat" or " All women are gold-digging opportunists" unfairly condemns an entire species because of the actions of a few losers. Do you believe that most people are inherently decent, loyal, loving and are looking for you just as ardently as you are looking for them? As hard as it may be, and while you certainly should not trust in a blindly haphazard fashion, you must have the ability to trust the people you introduce into your life, rather than judge them on any wrongdoings of those in your past.

There may be several factors that are holding you back from the resumption of dating.

Otherwise known as Analysis Paralysis, these factors may include the fear of experiencing another loss by divorce or death, the fear of intimacy and vulnerability or the fear of being hurt again. It could be something as silly as the "last ten pounds" Once you have isolated, identified, honestly addressed and moved forward from whatever it is that might be preventing you from dating again, you will then be able to enthusiastically jump into the dating world in a positive way.

What do you do when the people around you start badgering you to "get back out there"? What do you do when it feels like everyone is trying to push you into dating and you feel like these same people are trying to instead push you over a cliff? How do you cope when it seems like everyone's very happiness depends on whether or not you permit them to fix you up on Saturday night? Have you ever had a really nasty bruise? What is the first thing you do?