Every single person has experienced this at some point or another. You put yourself out there, meet someone new and finally, you go on a first date. You’ve been excited about this for a while, but now you’re here and things are going exceptionally badly. It’s embarrassing and can make you feel depressed and rejected.

Certainly, all of us would like to keep these kind of nightmare dating experiences from happening in the first place. Unfortunately, it’s just part of being out there on the dating scene. We all have some horror stories on our way to finding the right match. The important thing is to stay positive; here are 5 helpful tips to keep you in the game:

1) Don’t take things too personally

The whole purpose of dating is to sort the wheat from the chaff and more often than not, it’s more of a marathon than it is a 100 yard dash. Dating helps you learn about what you want in a romantic partner as well as what you’d like to avoid.

2) Accept support from friends

Your friends are in your corner and they can help you to dust yourself off after you experience a setback in your dating life. There’s no need to be the strong silent type, accept the support that your social circle can offer you.

3) Use dating disasters as a learning opportunity

When something goes wrong, remember that this is also a chance to learn from your mistakes. Take some time to think about what went wrong and what you might be able to do differently next time around. If it’s not something you did, consider why your date wasn’t a good match and what kind of person might you want to go out with next time around.

4) Relax

A lot of us have the mindset that every date needs to be perfect and that every person we date must be our ideal match. Be realistic and think of dating as a way to have fun and learn more about the other person and yourself. Take a deep breath, allow things to develop at their own pace and you’ll probably find that you enjoy dating a lot more.

5) Take a break

If a bad date (or series of bad dates) has you feeling cynical about romance, take a few weeks off and focus on yourself instead. You shouldn’t give up on dating, but it’s OK to take a little time out to decompress and get back out there when you’re feeling ready.