Hey Brooke!

I’m in the early stages of dating someone new and am coming up against some of the shoulds that live in my dating manual. As I uncover them, I’m working to shift my thoughts but am struggling with cleaning up my intentional model in a way that is genuine and open without projecting a manual. I’m also wondering what would be appropriate with regards to requests/boundaries at this stage. I’ve added some examples below and would love support brainstorming! Thanks so much in advance! 🙂

Unintentional model #1:
C: Ended a date without an invite for the next date
T: He should ask me out farther in advance
F: frustrated
A: overthink what I said/did, resent him, run hot/cold, get passive-aggressive, avoid open communication
R: I’m exhausted and it has no impact on him; we are disconnected

Intentional model #2:
C: Dating
T: I can’t control other people’s behavior? I want him to be him and me to be me? I want to be with someone who wants to prioritize spending time with me?
F: ???
A: ???
R: I show up as me honestly and openly; I appreciate him for who he is vs. trying to change him/his behavior. Connection is genuine