Are you Bored with your Online Dating Experience?

You've logged on to your favorite dating site only to find the same matches you've had for the last week appear..again. You start to search through new profiles, feeling a sense of overwhelm and hopelessness. None of your choices seem like good options, no matter how many you look through.

Or perhaps you haven't checked your matches in several weeks, because the thought of putting any more effort into an online dating search seems futile. After all, you went on five bad dates in a row. It's not worth it.

Regardless of why you're bored or unhappy with your online dating experience, there are some tips to help renew your search and put you in a better frame of mind. After all, you won't get any closer to meeting the right person if you don't put yourself out there and keep trying. It's a numbers game, so keep an open mind and a little perseverance.

Remove the pressure. Instead of making your search an all-or-nothing process, recognize that all of your dates have something to offer, whether or not they are right for you. Dating is good practice for sorting out qualities that you do and don't want in a relationship. If you look at each date as a learning experience rather than a quest for Mr. or Miss Right, you can have fun in the moment. Shouldn't dating be more fun and less pressure anyway?

Wait it out. If you've been on a string of bad dates, it is hard to get excited about the next one. Give yourself a break and take a couple of weeks off from looking at your matches. Go out with your friends and do something that makes you happy. Come back refreshed and ready to start again.

Change your filters. Are you matching with the same people over and over, even on different sites? Chances are you've set your filters a little too rigidly. Increase the radius of your search from 10 miles to 50 miles. Increase your age limits. Rethink your preferences, like those candidates with certain professions or interests. Try dating a cop or a nurse instead of entrepreneurs. Try dating someone who likes bike riding even though you prefer academic, bookish types.

Email him/her now. You might have a list of "maybes" in your saved searches, so you haven't reached out. Or maybe you've winked at someone hoping to get a response. Stop waiting and start emailing, because the only way to get to a date is to get the process going. Be bold! What are you waiting for?