26.08.2021, 04:01
![[Bild: five-stages-of-friendship.jpg]](https://www.matrony.ru/wp-content/uploads/five-stages-of-friendship.jpg)
Don't expect too much
Seriously. We all want everything to go perfectly, but this rarely happens even in the best scenario. Most likely, the date will be filled with awkward moments, stupid jokes and pauses lasting forever. The best thing you can do to avoid it is not even trying to avoid it. Just relax and let the date run its course. Do not draw in your imagination the man of your dreams, even if during the correspondence it seems to you that you have found a kindred soul. Set yourself a simple and clear goal — to learn more about the person.
Better a cafe than a restaurant
A first date at a table with a snow-white tablecloth in the most expensive restaurant in the city is a bad option. Apart from the fact that the question of what to wear and who pays for dinner will inevitably arise, most likely, you will both feel uncomfortable. The best place for a first meeting is an ordinary cafe, a pizzeria or even a leisurely walk in the park, if the weather allows. A classic date with candles adds to the atmosphere of officiousness. During such evenings, they usually discuss plans for the future, career prospects or politics, and this is definitely not something to start an acquaintance with.
Give you both some time
It will be awkward for you. Few people feel free and relaxed at the first meeting. There are probably legends among your friends, how someone, as soon as he saw his future husband, felt "it". Full confidence that it is with this person that she will spend the rest of her days, raise four children and die in one day. Believe me, such stories are found only in romantic comedies. Ordinary mortals need time to get used to a new person: to test the ground, find common topics and establish contact. In general, do not rush to draw conclusions about a person in the first ten minutes of a date.
Don't be afraid to pause
In a live human conversation, pauses are normal, you're not an announcer on television and you don't make a presentation to the board of directors of your company. Of course, it will be better if you come up with several topics in advance that may be potentially interesting for both you and your partner. Do not strive to stay only within the framework of "safe" topics like the weather. Will it be interesting for you to talk for half an hour about whether someone likes the rain or not? So your new friend is unlikely to be delighted. Remember, your goal is to make a person open up, find out what he breathes, what interests him. Talk about trips, animals, or family relationships, if this topic is not too personal for you.
Leave yourself an escape route
Corny, but true. The date may not go as planned. So wrong that you will want to escape immediately. And the first thing you will do at home is block a new friend in all social networks. If you feel that something went wrong from the very beginning, mark the time limits in the first second: "Hi, it's nice to finally see you. It's a pity, I have very little time today — the boss has given me a task for the weekend." Another, equally banal, but effective move is to ask your best friend to call exactly half an hour after the start of the date. Will he understand that you want to escape from him? Yes, be sure. But if you're still not going to continue the acquaintance, then what's the difference?