As a mature dater, it can be difficult to find your way back into the dating scene. Many of us are newly single, divorced, widowed or have struggled to find Mr or Ms Right in the first place, but climbing back on the horse as an over 50 dater can be daunting at best.

In this guide, we’re going to share with you our three tips for re-joining the dating scene as an older dater, so let’s take a look.

1) Know what you need

At any stage in life, knowing what you want out of a partner is the key to finding somebody who makes you happy. However, as we get older, it gets even more important. There are countless reasons why we might find ourselves back on the scene at an older age, but that doesn’t mean we have to repeat the mistakes of the past. Go back to your past relationships and try to find the common thread. Perhaps it’s time to try something new, who knows, it could lead to true love.

2) Never be embarrassed

There’s a curious thing about over 40 dating, that it no longer feels socially acceptable to be out on the scene and looking for love. For many of us, that means that we simply shrink back into ourselves and leave the dating game for others. If you’re going to make the most out of mature dating, you need to push past the public perception of how we should feel and act and simply be yourself. We might not fit in around the singles bars, but with online dating, we can take control of our dating life and push past the negative perceptions of mature daters.

3) Be prepared to wait

Lots of us get back into dating, forgetting exactly what dating is like. Memories tend to collapse time, and all those bad dates months passed by with nary a nibble simply disappear. Well, as you get back into online dating, remember that love never comes easy. Online dating makes it easier than ever before to meet and talk to new people, but even then love won’t merely fall into your lap. Take your time, have some conversations and see where it takes you.