In the modern dating world, the term breadcrumbed means to be given just enough attention to keep you interested but never being fully invested. Typically, you go on a couple dates with a person and then they seem to be busy or cancel dates at the last minute. You question if they are interested and feel confused because on the dates they seem “so into you,” but once they are no longer around you, they are distant and difficult to get in contact with. Usually, right when you are about to write them off, they will text you something like “Hey! It’s been a while, lets meet up soon!” At this point you start to question yourself, “was I expecting too much,” “did I overreact,” “maybe they were truly busy?” You give it another shot and after trying to figure out what they mean by “soon” you go on another date with them and have a blast. The cycle then repeats.

Many of us are ready for the world to open back up, because we’re on the hunt for the golden egg - love. During the pandemic, we’ve done a lot of Netflix watching, snacking and board games, but we’ve also done some self-reflection, improvement and care. It’s important that, as we start to look seriously again for relationships, we recognize how the roles we’ve played in our pasts can show up in our romantic relationships.

Unfortunately, dating can feel overwhelming, exhausting, and hopeless at times. People can be misleading in their dating profiles. Ghosting is rampant. And flakiness is so bad that often people are unsure if a date will follow through and happen until they’re sitting at the restaurant in front of their date. What keeps us trudging through this difficult activity? The possibility and promise of finding love.

Online dating can be a great option for finding a romantic partner. It gives you access to a large pool of singles in your area that are also looking for love! However, with all of its benefits it can feel overwhelming, discouraging, and frustrating at times. With a culture of ghosting, bread crumbing, and flakiness the thought of logging into your dating account can make you roll your eyes. If you feel like online dating feels like a job, you feel agitated even looking at the app on your phone, or if you are having trouble remember who is who, it may be time to re-energize your online dating.