Ever heard of Casual Dating? I am sure; for those coming back to dating after a long time, things look very different from what they are used to. The dating norms have changed in the last few years. Many new terminologies have been introduced in the dating world. And if you are thinking of jumping into the dating pool, you need to be aware of these new norms.
One of these new norms is casual dating. By the looks of it, it seems like the most chill form of dating, where there is all the fun without any attachment. Seems easy? Well, it is, but only for those who know the rules of casual dating; for others, it can get a bit complicated if they aren’t aware of what it means or what they want from their casual dating experience.
There are rules to casual dating? Confused, right? All kinds of dating have limitations, and if you are looking for casual dating before settling down, you should know the rules.
What is Casual Dating?
In a nutshell, casual dating is dating without labels or attachments, but it’s not like “friends with benefits,” although they may seem similar. The fun part of casual dating that makes people date more and more is the lack of commitment. You can add as many rules as you want or remove rules too.
The relationship isn’t serious, so you never have to worry about what the other person is thinking. However, to make this work, both the partners or parties need to be on the same page. If you would like to date in the near future, here are casual dating rules for your assistance.
Benefits of Casual Dating
If you are still skeptical about casual dating, some benefits might change your mind about casual dating.
There’s No Pressure whatsoever!
With normal dating, there is always the pressure to look perfect, act perfect, and not be anything other than perfect. It’s exhausting and tiresome to be this image of perfection all the time. Well, with casual dating, there is no such pressure. You can date whoever you want without being fake.
Moreover, you can say bye to sex or commitment with casual dating. When there is no pressure of sex or commitment, you can relax and be yourself without the pressure f being judged or dumped at the end of the day.
It will Help you Get a Clear Picture
Take casual dating as a test drive; it will help you figure out what you want in your car; by car, we mean future relationships. Use casual dating to list down all the things you want in your partner and from your relationship.
Having an idea in your head is a great thing, but till you start living that idea, you will not know if it works for you or not. For example, you might think you will like someone who works out a lot, but you might not like their obsession with a healthy lifestyle and gym when it comes to a relationship.
You won’t know till you try, and casual dating is the perfect way to try and understand what you need.
Casual Gating Helps People Get Back in the Game
For many, the idea of dating again may seem scary. For them, casual dating can be a solace. It can help them get back to the dating game and find the ultimate connection. Serious dating isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and it takes time to find your footing. Casual dating can help people get over
- The rejection or the fear of it
- Fear of intimacy
- Getting over past struggles and toxic relationships
Take casual dating as a warm-up exercise before the real thing begins.
Rules Of Casual Dating
Let’s get to the rules now. These are just some popular rules; you can add your own rules to the list as well if you have any. Remember, not all of these rules may apply to you. You can pick the ones that work for you and your partner and work your way through the relationship.
1. Communication
Communication is the key to every relationship, even casual ones. You and your partner both need to be on the same page when it comes to casual dating. Things can go downhill very fast if the idea of casual dating isn’t clear in either of your heads. So spell it out loud and clear before beginning the casual dating charade.
To make it as easy to understand, just proclaim that you aren’t looking for commitment but some fun at the start of the relationship. If you both like each other and are willing to have a fun time together without getting too attached or committed, this can work, or else it’s a hard pass.
2. Respect
Casual dating is kind of like hanging out with your friends but also a tad bit different. Anything goes between friends, but anything doesn’t go between casual partners. Respect is the essential element of any relationship.
Just because you are dating, it doesn’t mean you can stand them up, be rude or leave them halfway without letting them know. Not being committed doesn’t mean being aloof, or nonchalant; find the balance between the two to make casual dating work.
3. Honesty
With casual dating, there can be a lot of confusion; to avoid that, you need to be extremely open and honest about what you want from your partner. Let your partner know that you want to date casually, you aren’t into committed relationships, and they can’t expect anything from you.
Once you start dating, you need to keep this as clear as day, no mixed signals, not posting on social media, nothing of the sort that would give your partner the wrong idea about what you want from them.
4. Learn to Keep Secrets
Casual dating also means you can date more than one person; this is pretty obvious. Since there is no commitment and you are on the lookout for the right person, you will date more than one person and leave one for another.
However, this doesn’t mean you keep raving about your experiments and other guys in front of your current partner. This isn’t a competition; you don’t need to make your partner jealous, so don’t kiss and tell.
5. Sex or No Sex is The Big Question
Dating leads to commitment, and commitment leads to sex, but since there is no commitment here, what about sex? Well, this is what you need to convey at the start of your relationship.
Whether you want sex out of your casual dating scene or not is up to you, but you need to communicate this to your dating partner to know if they want the same from you.
Cuddles, hugs, making out, or going third base should be blatantly clear from the start, so there are no advances out of the line. Drawing boundaries is one way of keeping the casual dating system healthy and uncomplicated.
There is nothing wrong with having sex if you are casually dating. Since you are looking for the right person to spend your life with, sexual compatibility is an essential box to tick. However, sexual intimacy can bring about many emotional feelings.
6. Keeping Activities Sorted
Since there are so many confusing things about casual dating, one of the most confusing is what is allowed and what isn’t. Anything that feels like coupledom needs to go to make it easier to understand. For example, going to his place to cook food, spending the night at his home and cooking him breakfast in the morning, or just lounging in your is on his couch, A BIG NO. This isn’t how casual dating works.
A casual date is exploring the world with the person to see if you both want the same things. Go on dates, have all kinds of food, go to movies, do activities together like swimming, skydiving, etc. casual dating is more about exploring the person than their body.
7. No Sleeping Over Rule
As mentioned above, you can’t sleep at his house, and he can’t sleep at your house; this is out of the question. This is a commitment of sorts, and that’s not allowed when you are casually dating someone.
This can give the second person different ideas about what you’re looking for. This doesn’t mean you can’t have sex; this just means no spooning after sex.
8. No Expectations
Casual dating boils down to just one rule, no expectation. This means you can’t expect the guy to leave everything to come and see you, be with you, or take you out. When casual dating, your partner owes you nothing, and the same goes for you.
9. Keep the Friends and Family at Bay
When you’re in a serious relationship, you can’t wait for your partner to meet the family and friends. You are always looking for approval and praise regarding your partner. But that isn’t how casual dating works; keep your friends and family away from your casual date.
This means no mutual plans, no meeting the family, and no hanging out with the inner circle. This also means you keep the relationship as quiet as possible, so there is no confusion when you start dating another guy.
10. More Time For Family Commitments
Commitment is hard, it takes up your time and energy, and you start dropping plans and canceling things. But with casual dating, you can have all the fun with your partner and keep your plans with friends and family too.
You don’t have to make any significant sacrifices for your casual date; if you want to go home for the holidays, that’s precisely what you can do without having the notion of inviting your date. There is no need, and you don’t even have to be guilty about it.
Your casual date may not be around for long, but your friends will be, so give them more importance and don’t ditch them for your date.
11. Don’t Ghost
Having said that about not stitching your friends, you cant ditch your date either. Make sure they know when you are canceling on them; just don’t ghost them out of anywhere. You may be casual dating, but there is still a thing called manners.
Moreover, ghosting people may cause them unnecessary stress; they may wonder or worry about your well-being, so always leave a text or, better yet, call them to let them know the plan is off.
This also applies to when you want to end things with anyone; let them know in person that it’s not working for you and they aren’t what you are looking for; it’s better to get a clean break without any promises or confusion.
12. No Getting Jealous
There should also be a NO jealousy rule in your casual dating, like NO expectations. You can’t get jealous, and you can make your partner jealous. Jealousy is out of the picture if you are casual dating. What they do with the next person should be none of your concern. Who they spend time with after seeing you should be your problem. If your green-eyed monster is too strong, maybe casual dating isn’t the right thing for you.
13. No Texting Daily
Casual dating means you have a guy or girl with whom you can hang out while seeing other people. This means that one person shouldn’t be the center of your universe. So, no seeing the date daily, no texting or calling them daily. Keep things chill, call once in a while, make a plan and have some fun.
14. Pay Your Share or At Least Offer to Do So
This isn’t your average relationship where the guy always pays. This is an independent thing, where both of you are looking out for yourself. So always pay your share so that you don’t owe anyone anything. If the guy is too much of a gentleman and doesn’t let you pay, make sure you let them know that you are always up for paying your share.
15. When the Time Comes, End It
Too many people are bad at ending things; this makes many relationships go bitter. Here’s a tip, this is causal dating; you don’t owe your partner an explanation other than ‘it’s not working, and that’s it.
So, never be afraid to end things when casual dating; however, make sure you let the person know, don’t just leave them wondering where you vanished.
16. No Over-involvement
The person you are casually dating shouldn’t be an integral part of your lie, so don’t make them one. Their number shouldn’t be on your speed dial, nor should yours be theirs. Call your friends, not your casual date, if you are scared and lonely. If you need to get the bulb changed, climb the ladder yourself. All these mistakes spell commitment, and casual dating is anything but commitment.
And there you have it; this should cover the norms and rules of casual dating. You don’t have to write these rules down or memorize them; just remember, if the courtship is giving you stress, it’s out of the window.
