If you’re someone who might be politely described as a ‘mature’ or ‘older’ individual, are you also single? Perhaps you’ve reached a stage in your life – after divorce, separation, or bereavement – where you’re ready to get back into dating. Have you already been tempted to take the plunge and join a website or app dedicated to matchmaking for older singles? If you’ve found this experience stressful, there are two worthwhile snippets of information to take on board. Firstly, there’s no need for you to be anxious about going down this route. Online dating has become extremely popular within your demographic. Secondly, you can easily alleviate stress by learning how to meditate.
Avoiding unnecessary dating traumas
Dating can throw up all sorts of hurdles, but this situation can be exacerbated for those of a certain age. Watching friends and family settling into long-term partnerships while you remain on the sidelines can be demeaning. But the good news is senior hookups can be arranged with minimal fuss. By registering with a digital platform, you can relax and seek out people on your wavelength from the comfort of your home. Or wherever you have access to a web browser! Next time you intend to pop into your favorite coffee shop for refreshments, make sure you’ve downloaded a senior hookup app to your smartphone. You can take control of how events pan out, deciding which profiles you’d like to explore, and those you’d prefer to swipe past. There will be discreet communication channels where seniors can relax and get to know each other with amiable chats. And to ensure you remain calm while doing all this, you can try meditating.
Staying calm on your journey
It would be useful to liken your quest to discover your ideal partner to a journey – one you can prepare for mentally. Let’s take a closer look at developing inner strength to alleviate external pressures. Meditation is all about going into a mode where you gradually become impervious to stress. Find a safe place to sit comfortably and practice deep breathing techniques. You can also employ mantras to run through as you focus on letting negative emotions seep away. Psychologists talk of ‘survival mode,’ where we feel the need to constantly be on the defensive, countering the misfortune life can throw our way. Learning how to meditate effectively can become the key weapon in your arsenal as you fight back against these feelings. The more you find time to indulge in this pastime, the more effective these sessions will be. You can enhance the experience in many ways. Ensure your posture is as comfortable as possible. Sit on a cushion. Feel those blues drifting away – but avoid falling asleep. An important aspect of meditation is allowing the benefits to flood through your body while you’re fully aware of this happening. Here’s another tip. Should you find your mind wandering away from this private moment (perhaps dwelling on worries you have), take some deep breaths while you steer yourself back to your meditation. Be compassionate with yourself as you undertake this relaxation. It’s not remotely selfish to cut yourself off from the outside world (especially your phone) and focus on looking after number one.
Tips for finding love online
If you get into a routine of meditating, you’ll feel comfortable about extending the sessions, making them even more beneficial. Now you’ll be in a better place to approach the dating process. Before reaching out to other older singles on a matching platform, make sure your profile presents you in your best light. Remember, these outlets are growing in popularity all the time, so they’re becoming increasingly crowded marketplaces. To give yourself the best chance of attracting attention, you should aim to stand out from the crowd. One way of doing this would be to upload a high-quality profile photo, preferably taken by a friend using a decent camera as opposed to a selfie, or a blurry screenshot grabbed from social media. When describing your achievements and attributes, avoid becoming too verbose. Take a leaf out of a tabloid editor’s notebook: present salient points as headlines, but entice anyone reading this information to be intrigued, and eager to find out more. When indulging in one-on-one conversations, always aim to be charming and amicable. Avoid snarky comments made under the veil of humour.
To conclude, making meditation an important part of your daily routine will help build your confidence. But even more crucially, the benefits for your mental wellbeing will be immense. Stress and anxiety, if unchecked, can eventually impact your self-esteem, leading to episodes of depression. Knowing you have a time set aside where you can ‘re-charge’ the batteries will give you a positive boost. You’ll be ready to embrace the challenges of seeking out your perfect partner.
MindOwl Founder – My own struggles in life have led me to this path of understanding the human condition. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy before completing a master’s degree in psychology at Regent’s University London. I then completed a postgraduate diploma in philosophical counselling before being trained in ACT (Acceptance and commitment therapy).
I’ve spent the last eight years studying the encounter of meditative practices with modern psychology.