Is there a healthy timescale for dating again after you have been dumped by your loved one? How soon is too soon? Can I still be feeling sad about it and date?
I waited 5 months. I needed to feel ready as coming out took all my time and effort. Hopefully meeting someone this Sunday...
I think it just depends on when you feel ready and won't be thinking about the ex when your with the new person. Or when you feel good enough to be out with someone and not feeling sad.
I think it depends on the person, but it’s important to always be mindful about how your feelings about the breakup impact your decisions in dating. For myself I didn’t want to wait at all. I had already had a year of being pushed away though, so maybe that influenced my drive to date. I think in your case, you’ve mentioned really needing community and I notice you’re working in building community and staying open to pursuing new women. It sounds like you are quite aware of your feelings and working through the pain of the breakup while still allowing yourself some new experiences and that sounds healthy to me.
There is no specific time scale, but you should be at a point of acceptance of the situation before dating again. I think it is OK to still be sad about it as long as the sadness is not all consuming. It is OK to miss a prior attachment.