Tl;dr looking for advice to keep my head up and staying the course on a new relationship.
I (M, Mid 20s) just finished a 2 year break from dating, needed the time to work on myself, my career, and learn to be happy even when alone. I have good personal confidence, I feel attractive and personable, and developed skills in managing anxiety.
Recently I began dating again, and started seeing someone (F, Early 20s). It hasn’t been long, but I definitely feel a great connection and potential for a lasting relationship with her. She’s affectionate and reciprocal. Our first date was almost exactly as I had wished, she made a playlist for us, we drove around a bit, kissed a LOT for a first date, even took pictures together. She texted me as soon as it was over, saying she couldn’t wait for the next one.
After that date, she’s still texting me every day, same good energy. Shows interest in a second date (but we haven’t made sure plans for it). Given my hard history with dating, where it’s been hard to get a second date regardless of how well the first one went, I can’t help but worry and struggle with pessimism. If she has a hard schedule, if her tone changes, or if I have to double text (which, as a sidenote, I hate doing) I start feeling like it’s not going to work out and thinking negatively.
I feel like this is from my Anxious Attraction style, which I just learned about, and have been blindly coping with for my entire dating life. Knowing this isn’t just me is VERY helpful, and while I’m trying to manage this on my own by rejecting negative thoughts, and resisting the urge to be openly anxious by poorly communicating that I deal with this, I’d like to seek advice to help me stay positive about early phase relationships. I can share more details if your input needs it.
Thank you all in advance!