Out of Harm’s Way: How Women Can Stay Safe While Dating

It is a sad but unfortunate truth – as a woman, you are responsible for your own safety. Now, when you stay within your regular routine and comfort zone, this is easy enough to do. However, when you enter the realm of dating, the rules can change quite a bit.

This is certainly a fact in the age of online dating. On the one hand, you have more access to people than ever before, allowing you to widen your dating pool. At the same time, you also have to accept the fact that you are talking to, flirting with, and eventually meeting total strangers.

So, the question is, how can you remain open to love but still make sure you are safe at the same time? Well, the good news is that this isn’t an impossible task. Sure, it can take some effort and you are going to need some excellent advice as well. Once you have mastered these things, though, the dating game is bound to be much safer.

Be Careful About Sharing Information

Let’s start at the very beginning, the first thing that you need to be careful with is sharing information with someone you have met online. Now, you are free to discuss your interests, hobbies, and other passions. However, make it a point to steer clear of anything that can give them an indication of where you live or work.

This can seem like a rather intense thing to do but just think about it for a moment. Imagine that this person you are speaking to ends up being overly intense or exhibits stalker-like behavior. The more information you give your date, the easier you make it for them to find you both online and in real life as well.

Don’t Link to Social Media Accounts

You will often find that many dating apps give you the opportunity to link your online dating profile to certain social media accounts. On the one hand, this can seem like an easy way of letting someone get to know you before making too much of an effort. Before you do this, though, just think about how much personal information you post on this social media account.

For instance, do you have pictures that are geo-tagged? Or, have you taken pictures in front of your workplace or other areas that you frequent? If so, it shouldn’t take a stranger too long to figure out what some of your favorite hangouts are. To avoid this, just settle for having some nice and varied photos on your profile.

Do a Background Check

Most people tend to lead surprisingly public lives. Thus, if you want to learn more about someone, it is often as simple as typing their name into a search engine. Here, you should be able to link up to their social media profiles rather easily. Now, the purpose behind this is often to figure out whether the person that you have matched with is telling the truth about who they are. It is also a quick way to know if your match is, in fact, single.

However, Googling someone’s name isn’t enough. While search engines will let you know basic information about a potential date, it won’t actually reveal the most important details. For this, you are going to need to head to a specific analysis database like CheckPeople. Such sites will tell you whether someone has a criminal past or if they are safe for you to hang out with. So, this is definitely a step that you should consider taking.

Always Meet in a Public Place

Dating apps are often used up for hookups as well. While there’s nothing wrong with this, you do have to be careful about how you approach such situations. As a result, regardless of whether you are meeting someone for a date or for something more casual, make it a point to do so in a public place. This is especially important if you are meeting them at night.

Stick with a location that you know well and select a restaurant, café, or bar that you know is relatively popular. Sure, it may be tough to feel cozy with so many other people around but you will feel confident in being sure that you are safe. Now, there is always a chance that the person you want to meet up with will suggest a romantic spot that is off the beaten path. However, while it will be tempting to accept this offer, convince your date to choose a more populated place.

Share Details About Your Date

When you are excited about the possibility of a new relationship, it is natural to want to keep the details to yourself. After all, you may not want to jinx things. Despite this, though, you should always tell someone who you are meeting and where you will be going. If possible, also give them an idea of what time you should be back home as well.

Before heading out, share pictures and other details about your date with a friend or family member. Again, this may sound extreme but it is information that your loved ones should have. This is something you need to do with every person you meet for the first time.

Keep Others Updated On Your Whereabouts

If the date is going well, then you may leave your first location and go to another. Or, you may just walk around, getting to know each other. Obviously, this is great news, but it doesn’t mean that you should let your guard down just yet. Rather, update your friends or family about where you will be headed to next. Make sure that your date knows you are doing this.

If you want your friends to know where you are, then technology can help. You can download one of the many apps available to link your phone to your friend’s. This way, they will know exactly where you are, regardless of where you are going.

Keep an Eye on Your Food and Drink

When you are out at a bar or club filled with strangers, it is only natural to watch your food or drink in case anyone tries to slip something into it. This is something that a lot of people forget to do when they are on a date. That’s only natural because you are hoping for the best possible outcome on your date.

Still, don’t ever leave your food or drink unattended. Also, make sure that whatever you are eating or drinking is taken straight off the waiter or bartender. Don’t let your date get anything for you. Try to head to the bathroom at the end of the meal or once you have finished your drink.

Drink Responsibly

You should be able to drink as much as you want and be confident, knowing that you will be safe in an ideal world. Unfortunately, you don’t live in such a place. This is why you need to be careful about how much you drink. Even if you are feeling fine, cut yourself off after around the second drink. You are going to need to keep your wits about you. Try alternating with non-alcoholic drinks so that you still have something to sip during the conversation.

Don’t Be Polite – Get Out

Most women tend to have politeness hardwired into their brains. The result of this, though, is that they will continue to stick around even when they start to get a bad feeling about their date. If this happens to you, you need to throw all social niceties out the window. Are you getting creepy vibes from the person sitting opposite you? Then it is time to leave.

In case you aren’t certain about how to leave the situation, you can always make up an excuse about going to the bathroom or needing to make a call. Then, simply pick up your bag and leave. Since the restaurant or bar should be pretty crowded, it is unlikely that that person will try to stop you.

Find an Ally

The other benefit of picking a public and popular spot is that there are so many people around you at all times. If you do feel like a date is going badly, then approach someone who can be your ally in this situation. It could be a server, a group of people, or anyone else that can help you out. This way, your date is not going to hassle you since you will have backup.

Feeling Comfortable? Go Back to Your Place

So, let’s imagine that the date is going well and you would like to take it further. Or, you have met for a hookup and you are fairly confident that this person is OK. Even then, you should try to move things back to your place. If you have roommates, give them a heads up but still invite them over to your home.

Again, this offers you a sense of control and allows you to loosen up, without actually letting go of the reins. Not to mention, your date is certainly more likely to behave, since they know they will be heading onto your home base.

These are all the things you need to be aware of when heading out into the dating world. While it may seem like a lot of effort on your part, it will all be worth it when you come back home safely after each date.

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