(M23) who just graduated my master’s and stepping into the dating game of a big city. I’m fully open to a relationship, but from the people I’ve talked to and been on dates with (both from dating apps and in-person), I always feel a bit empty. In the back of my mind when going on dates with them, I feel my time and money just not being put to good use. I feel like they’re taking aspects from other parts of my life. For example, $20 on an ice cream date could be 20$ placed on an investment. Or 2 hours spent on a date could be 2 hours networking or meeting new friends. Entirely possible I’m taking myself too seriously. In my mind, these kinds of things accumulate over time though. I’m not sure what the answer is, but when I’m on these dates, I usually don’t see any value added to my life that I couldn’t produce myself. I’ve been in several relationships…but it all honestly I’ve dated around a lot (FWBs, situationships, hookups) these past two years and I’ve forgotten the value and feeling of what made my past relationships so great. Now, going into taking dating more seriously, I’m curious to know, how should I prioritize my relationship in the different stages of getting to know her and actually committing? I’m unsure of how to balance my romantic life without putting other aspects on the backs “” burner. submitted by /u/Tragedyofthe
Originally posted by u/Tragedyofthe on r/AskMen