When you bless and release someone youre seeing, you wish them well and let them go.
Dating coachLily Womblewent on plenty of chemistry-deficient dates when she was single in New York City years ago.
She recalls getting a text from a man after one particularly lackluster first date.
Womble paused, then gentlytexted back the following:Hey, thanks so much for hanging out.
Im not feeling a romantic connection and I wish you the best.
Later, she thought about how shed handled the situation.
This time, though, shed simply blessed and released her date.
These days, Womble is happily married and long past her bless and release days.
In an interview with HuffPost, Womble expanded on her dating strategy.
If this all sounds very Southern the dating equivalent of Bless your heart youre on to something.
Womble is originally from Birmingham, Alabama.
In this case, though, the bless is less condescending.
Its more of a Thank you, next after a platonic connection.
Its a compassionate bless, the dating coach said.
Youre acknowledging that the person is someone whos perfectly nice but whos just not right for you.
Its also a reminder not to beat yourself up for having preferences.
Sick ofsituationshipsand waiting to feel sparks or for the other person to fully commit?
Stop dillydallying and just bless and release.
So many single people I work with are worried about scarcity in the dating pool, Womble said.
They fear that what they want doesnt exist romantically, and so they hold on to the wrong people.
Others are caught up in dead-end relationships because they fear whats out there.
Its certainly a healthier alternative to ghosting, she told HuffPost.
Of course, there is always a possibility your date wont take even the most thought-out response well.
But Higgins says the golden rule about holding boundaries is that you arent responsible for the other persons reaction.
Your accountability first remains with yourself and with standing in your truth, she said.
That kind of people-pleasing in the realm of relationships or elsewhere ultimately hinders women.
Overpromising and under-delivering dont do either party any favors, Ren said.
But blessing and releasing especially before you get in too deep just might.
Its a gift to both parties.This article originally appeared onHuffPost.
