Dating with sex doesn't have to turn your nerves upside down. Learn to manage your stress and make it work for you. To calm yourself and get ready to have a great time on your date, try these stress-busting techniques.


Square breathing

To relax before a date or any other potentially anxiety-ridden experience, try square breathing: Inhale to the count of four, hold to the count of four, exhale to the count of four, and hold for four. With practice, you can increase each side of the "square" to a count of eight or even twenty; the longer the count, the slower and more calming the breathing — just no gasping, please.

Affirmations

To calm yourself and quell any surges of anxiety, try an affirmation. Repeat after me:
  • "I'm a fun, interesting, worthy person."
  • "I deserve success and happiness."
  • "A date is only a date — it's not do-or-die time."
  • "I'm calm and fearless."
  • "I will enjoy myself tonight, and my date will, too."
  • "No one will know or care what happened on this date 500 years from now."
  • "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." (Helen Keller).