^^^ this is what I call the 'slippery slope' where you seek dates to meet your need for companionship out of neediness, feeling lonely, confidence boost. When you feel these feelings, it tells you that you are not ready to date.
In my case, I deliberately fought against dating again because I wanted to address the very exact feelings first before I can start dating again from a position of strength and self-confidence. Without the internal self-work, then the next relationship will be fraught with tension, frustration, and unhappiness which does NO ONE any good. It is for this reason why I urge people not to get into rebound relationships too quickly.
It is something that one needs to decide for herself/himself and where they're at in their journey. I'd like to think that, generally speaking, DBers have a leg up here more than the rest of the general population because the mantra here is to work on YOU and do 'a post-mortem autopsy on the M' to borrow from one of Bets' brilliant gems.
