So, you’re standing there looking at that new shiny dating app icon on your phone, thumb hovering like it would bite you. You don’t know whether you’re anxious or bored. You’ve heard of “finding your person” and maybe your cousin met their soulmate on Hinge or Bumble or whatever app you keep deleting by mistake. But still, you think, am I really prepared to put myself out there?

Seriously, it’s a great question. Online dating is humorous, great, disappointing, awkward, and hopeful all at the same time. There isn’t any one sign that screams “you’re ready,” but there are a couple of signs that you might be in a good place to try it.

Are You Comfortable With Yourself?

Let’s be real. You don’t have to have all the answers prior to dating. You can still be insecure about yourself, question your profession, or be unsure if you actually love olives or if you’ve been pretending for your whole life. But it does serve you well to be at a place where you like yourself most of the time.

If you’re hoping someone on the internet will wave their magic wand and make you happier as a person, you might be in for a rough ride. Dating is a whole lot easier when you’re not secretly hoping some other human will repair you or fill in some emotional gap.

I once knew a friend who leaped into online dating as if it were her new full-time job, barely a month after breaking up. Her profile was immaculate, her matches were coming in waves, yet every conversation looped around to her ex. It wasn’t even subtle. Her ex seemed to be the ubiquitous third person on each date. After a bit of ghosting and one extremely lost barista, she gave it a break. A couple of months down the road, after some healing, she gave it another try—and it went so much better. Test your comfort zone with playful nsfw bots before diving in. NSFW chatbots are AI-powered virtual partners designed to simulate adult conversations and scenarios in a private, judgment-free environment. These bots can engage in flirtatious, romantic, or sexually explicit dialogues, allowing users to explore fantasies, improve communication skills, or simply satisfy curiosity. They’re often used as a form of practice before entering real-life or online relationships, helping users gain confidence and understand their own preferences in a safe, controlled setting.

Are You Emotionally Available?

This is a huge one. Are you truly in the right place to get to know someone new or are you just trying to distract yourself? You might not even know you’re still stuck on someone until you find yourself comparing all your matches to your ex. Or worse, hoping against hope that your ex will somehow see your dating profile and reach out to you like in a rom-com plot twist. That is not dating, that’s emotional limbo.

Can You Handle Rejection (Without Falling Apart)?

Let’s get real and recognize that online dating is riddled with cringy chats, deadened conversations and of course rejection. Rejection is slow sometimes and other times it comes right away. It hurts more sometimes, as when a person you had genuine feelings for ghosted you or says something mean. You should be able to take a small amount of rejection, since it is a real part of dating.

It’s not that rejection is always bad. No one’s out here high-fiving after being ghosted. Being prepared just means knowing that rejection isn’t personal every single time. It usually just means you weren’t the right person, or they got busy, or they realized they’re still in love with their dog groomer. You have to be able to laugh at the terrible dates and move on. Such as when someone un-matched me because I put pineapple on pizza in my profile. Their loss, actually. Discover if nsfw bots can help ease first-date nerves.

Do You Know What You Want (At Least Sort Of)?

You don’t need to know exactly what you are looking for. You really shouldn’t lock yourself into requirements like minimum height, weight and never an income level. But it’s nice to have a rough idea of what you’d like. Are you trying to look for something serious? Just want to flirt and play things by ear? Interested but not quite sure?

Being honest to yourself actually makes it so much more likely you’ll be honest with the people you match up with. And that eliminates so much wasted time and awkward conversations. And, hey, it establishes expectations earlier, which makes everything so much smoother. So long as you’re clear about that, most people will appreciate the honesty.

Are You Ready to Do Some Work?

Okay, so let’s be honest about something no one is ready to admit. Online dating does not function as a pizza delivery. You don’t just make a profile, sit back, and wait for love to arrive at your doorstep in thirty minutes or less. You need to do some work. That means filling out your profile in a way that shows some personality. Responding to messages. Even sending the first message from time to time. Shock.

If you’re already rolling your eyes at the thought of writing a bio or asking someone what they did last weekend, then maybe not yet. And that’s fine. There is no rule that says you must do it online. But if you want it to be successful, it does take a little bit of your energy.

The Best Time Might Be Now (Or Maybe Not, and That’s Okay)

The sad truth is you’ll never be completely prepared. Total certainty doesn’t exist in romance, and waiting for it means likely waiting forever. The best you can do to get ready is to reach a place with yourself that you can handle most anything that comes your way.

So, you’ve made it this far through the article and still want to go back out. Keep your standards low and ensure you have well set boundaries. Above all, ensure you’re doing so because you actually desire to do so and catch what romance may come of it, not because you feel like you’re supposed to be dating or because everyone around you is telling you that you should.

If you’re reading this and you don’t know if you’re there yet, that’s alright too. There’s no such thing as a time limit for finding love. It will be there when you’re ready to go looking again. Take the time that you need to get centered and feel confident in yourself before you do.

Online and offline dating never needed to be about presenting the best you. It’s about getting real with someone. The deepest connections begin when you come as you. When you allow yourself to be vulnerable and human, you open the door to something beautiful to grow. Your real self is always more than enough. Either way, you may feel ready today or need a little longer, trust timing. You know yourself better than others can.