Sick of Being Single?

We're coming up on the holidays, and you might be anticipating some anxiety about your single status. Sure, you love your life, your independence, your ability to make last-minute plans without consulting with anyone else. But you also long for the partnership, romance, and companionship that comes with being in a relationship. So why hasn't it happened already?

The fact is, it takes time to find someone special, especially as you get older. You might be more picky in your thirties than you were in your twenties, (and that's a good thing, as long as you don't take it to extremes)! You know better the type of relationship you want. Also, work might have taken you away from focusing on your personal life, and now you want to shift your priorities a little. Whatever the case, you're ready, so following are a few tips to help speed things along (but having a little patience won't hurt...)

Make dating a priority. If you've put work first in the past, now is the time to shift your thinking. You can't make real progress by going on a few dates a month. You have to do more - let your friends know that it's okay to set you up, sign up for more than one online dating site, attend parties, strike up conversations with total strangers. If this puts you outside your comfort zone, that's okay. With a little practice, it will become easier and you'll see it pay off with more dates.

Break down those barriers. Stop telling yourself there are no good men out there, or that you seem to attract all the wrong guys, or any other dating myth you've perpetuated over the years. With 50% of U.S. adults being single, there's no reason you can't meet a good catch. So turn the negative chatter off and start thinking more positively. Even if you've been on a few bad dates lately, try opening up a little more instead of being so guarded and see who you meet and what happens. Dating should be a fun process, not a self-defeating one.

Stop comparing your life to others. There's nothing more counter-productive to finding the right relationship than looking at all of your friends who already have one. Don't assume they are all happy, and don't assume you're doing something wrong because you don't have what they do. Stop comparing, period. Everyone has her own path. Everyone's love life has a different timing. Yours will come, but only if you allow it to happen.