Nerves. They all get us from time to time. And if you haven’t been out on a date in a while for any reason, you might be a little more anxious than you’d like.

Instead of calling to cancel your dinner and movies meetup, you just need to learn how to relax a little and even use your nervousness to your advantage.

First of all, everyone gets nervous on a date – even if it’s their 100th date of the week. For a brief moment, everyone worries if their breath smells, if they just said something stupid, etc. So, realize that you’re human and that your date is going to be just as nervous.

So say something. That’s right, just say that you’re nervous. It’s a great ice breaker, and it helps you both get that elephant in the room under control.

Next, don’t analyze anything that you say or do from that moment on. Okay, you can play back your date when you get home, but when you’re out on the town, do NOT think about what you’re doing and how good/horrible it is. Just relax and be yourself. They’re going to make mistakes too.

When you approach dating in this way – online or in person – you’re not going to come off as a stiff person that doesn’t know how to have a good time. Revel in your human-ness and start dating more.

After a while, those nerves aren’t going to bother you at all.

Still not seeing anyone special? You need more strategies…

Without further ado, here are some tips to get some responses for your profile on that online dating site.

Get advice from someone else – Before you post your first profile, have your best friend read it…and then ask them to be brutal about what works and what doesn’t.

Focus on creating contact with someone on a regular basis – Don’t just sit around and wait for people to contact you, try to make contact at least once a week. Email someone or IM someone to get used to talking to others. Soon enough, you’ll be meeting up with all the right ones.

Be honest with those you meet virtually and in person – You want to be make sure you are telling the truth so that you’re actually making a connection with the people who would be the right fit for you.

But…don’t tell everything – Releasing all of your personal history, your divorce, your children, your lack of child support, etc. Until you know that you really like the person, total disclosure just isn’t necessary.

Create time in your life for love – You can’t start dating unless you have time in your schedule to date. You need to start making room for love…before you start adding dates into your day planner.

Good luck!