Those who are new to online dating may think that finding a soulmate is easy, simple, and intuitive. In a way, this is true. However, you shouldn’t expect that you will be able to find your soulmate immediately after registration, without making much effort. Most likely, everything will be completely different.

What's more! Some specific things about online dating aren't usually talked about. Nonetheless, it’s worth talking about them! For example, do you know that some bad habits can greatly prevent you from making new promising acquaintances? This is exactly what we want to talk about in this article. Please read the following information and make the same mistakes other people made.

• Bad habit #1. Hope only for luck

Many people believe that it is enough to create aprofile on a dating site, and offers to meet other people will start flowing in huge numbers immediately. However, this doesn't happen that way. Taking the initiative to register on other sites or applications and wait again can be frustrating; this can go on for a very long time.

You must understand that online dating is not luck, it has to do with your insistence and perseverance. Certainly, some are extremely lucky, which is an exception to the rule rather than a widespread tendency.

• Bad Habit #2. Focus on 1-2 dating services

Thousands of people choose one or two dating apps for some reason and only use them without considering alternatives. This is a big mistake because, in this way, they greatly limit their potential social circle.

If you are truly focused on finding promising and interesting acquaintances, be prepared to experiment and try something new. You do not need only classic dating services because there are other formats too. For example, video chats with strangers, in which you can meet and communicate with random people.

There are many video chats with strangers:

• Hola: This is a vibrant random video chat for smartphones where you can communicate via video, conduct live video broadcasts, and play mini-games with other users.
• Glow: This is a good random online video chat where you can create your profile with a photo just like in a dating app, communicate one-on-one by text or via video, give gifts to other participants, and have a good time.
• Bermuda: This is a random video chat with gender and geographic filters, as well as a large selection of masks and filters for photos and videos. Also, there is a post feed similar to Instagram.
• CooMeet: This is a functional video chat to talk to strangers, which offers users an error-free gender filter, a built-in message translator, convenient mobile applications, and an excellent moderation service.
• Gaze: This is a video chat with strangers that allows you to search for interlocutors by geolocation, use the built-in message translator, and communicate in text or video chat at your discretion. Additionally, Gaze has a post feed and Stories like Instagram.

There are a lot of interesting video chats today, and it’s definitely not worth giving up this format. Try it, you will definitely like it!

• Bad Habit #3. Making decisions too quickly

Some people make decisions too quickly about whether a person is right for them or not. They can get acquainted with someone in just a few minutes and immediately decide that this is their person. This can lead to disappointment if you later realize that you made a mistake. It's better to spend more time getting to know the person before making any decisions.

In general, being in haste in online dating is unacceptable. There's no need to rush. Chat with different people, try to evaluate them as objectively as possible, do not limit yourself to texting, and be sure to video chat at least once in order to understand and know each other better. Otherwise, the process will be useless.

• Bad Habit #4. Constantly looking back to the past

Sometimes, previous bad relationship experiences can greatly influence how a person approaches new acquaintances. He may constantly compare new acquaintances with his previous partner, be afraid of making the same mistakes, and delve into his own downsides.

If you have decided to find your love on the Internet, try to do everything so that past relationships do not interfere with the new relationship. Remove everything that reminds you of them from your sight, switch to something new, and find interesting hobbies. The less you think about the past, the easier it will be to look into the future and take giant steps towards it.

• Bad habit #5. Excessive self-critique

Self-criticism can be extremely harmful to you, which may lower your self-esteem and confidence. You may start to think that you are unworthy of love and relationships. Moreover, it may seem to you that everyone else on dating services is much better than you at everything. However, this is not true!

Here are some tips on how to avoid being too self-critical:

• Pay attention to your thoughts. When you begin to criticize yourself, stop and think about why you are criticizing yourself. How true are these thoughts? Are you as bad as you think?
• Try to look at the situation from the other side. Instead of focusing on your weaknesses, try to think about your strengths. What can you do well? What are you good at?
• Don't compare yourself to others. Everybody is unique in their own way, and comparing yourself to someone else is a recipe for disappointment.
• Don't forget about your achievements. When you achieve something good, don't forget to praise yourself.
• Ask for help. If you feel that you cannot cope with your self-criticism on your own, seek help from a psychologist or psychotherapist.

Yes, it can be difficult at first to stop looking for your own downsides and criticizing yourself. However, with the right approach and the right amount of effort, you will definitely cope with this task.

Bad Habit #6. Inability to listen

If you don't know how to listen to your chat partner, you need to do something about it. If at first, the other person listens carefully to everything you say, over time your excessive talking may begin to irritate them; this is common. Therefore, you must not always do the talking alone and do your best to listen as well:

• Focus on the speaker and what they are saying, rather than being in your thoughts and thinking of what to say.
• Do not interrupt or try to add something of your own until the speaker finishes their thought.
• Ask clarifying questions and show your interest.

There are situations when excessive talks take place because of the “fear of silence.” It may seem to you that pauses in conversation are a sign that you and your interlocutor have nothing to talk about and that your communication might soon end. It is not always so. There is no need to try to “clog” the silence with conversations about nothing. It’s better to prepare a list of topics that you would like to discuss with the person when such a pause arises in the middle of a conversation; offer to discuss one of them. This will make your communication more convenient, comfortable, and interesting.