What to do if your date is ‘keeping their options open’

We’ve all experienced the grey area of a relationship one way or another. Your date isn’t being totally communicative about what page they’re on, or maybe they have, and they’ve made it pretty clear they’re not ready for commitment but are still putting dates in the diary for dinners at your favourite restaurant. It can be confusing; do you stay in hopes they’ll change their mind a few more months down the line? Or do you hop off that train to find someone who is heading in towards the same destination as you – commitment.

What do you want from this situation?

Commitment is a big deal. It shouldn’t be something you just settle for because it’s the easiest option or because you feel better having someone in your life. By choosing that one person, the other opportunities to bump into someone at bars or whilst you’re commuting to work disappear. No, it’s not a commitment to walk down the aisle but you should take the time to figure out what you’re committing to before making the jump.

If you only want to date one person at a time, then be clear with yourself (and the other person) and establish that boundary before you step into the dating world. Don’t feel pressured to extend your dating circle because your date’s style includes a few more people than you’re used to. Compromising on the type of relationship you want is the last thing you want to be doing, inevitably it will bring up feelings of jealousy, insecurity, and instability within the relationship.

If you want more, don’t assume you can change what they want and can convince them that commitment is the way forward. Take their word for it, and don’t believe they just need a ‘gentle push’. Same goes for those that avoid the ‘what are we?’ questions after a few months of dating, their inability to communicate is probably a sign the relationship status isn’t going to level up.

From here, you need to switch the focus to you. Decide what is right for you and will make you happy. Whether that’s taking a complete step back to honour what you want and to find one person who wants the same things and give it your all. Or you could give your date 50% instead of 100%. This means the focus switches from them and onto to other factors in your life that make you feel fulfilled and happy, and most importantly give you value. It could be as simple as going out with friends, doing activities you enjoy, gaining some independence or even venturing out into the world of dating some more and increasing your dating circle.

The real answer to the question ‘What do I do?’ is that no one can tell you, there’s no rule book or guide to dating. It’s about being honest with yourself and your feelings. You can still date and have a bit of fun without commitment, just make sure you’re both on the same page first.

If you’re wanting to explore the world of dating, then join Plentymorefish and get connecting with like-minded singles looking for love.