The Naked Truth | The dating game: after leaving a bad relationship, how to pick it up again, and how soon?
- You may not feel like looking for romance if your last relationship or marriage failed, but leave it a while and you probably will
- Experts offer tips on how to find love again
Being in a bad relationship can be so unsettling, even traumatic, as to put people off looking for romance again. So should you plunge back into the dating game, and how quickly?
Yes, say some relationship experts, and as soon as possible. They believe that facing your fears head on, and rebuilding your self-esteem, is the best medicine, much like dealing with post-traumatic stress order. If you don’t, anxiety could get the better of you, they argue.
No, say others, who warn you could get into unhealthy rebound relationships.
One thing is certain: the number of divorces, whether amicable or not, has risen steadily in Hong Kong – in 2016, courts granted 17,196 divorce decrees, compared with 6,295 in 1991.
Jacqueline Chia, managing partner and co-founder of Meet Mozaic, a matchmaking service for mature Hong Kong residents, says whether, and how soon, you get back into the dating game depends on how your previous relationship ended and what emotional baggage you are carrying.