Is this dating mistake keeping you from love?

Has this happened to you? From the moment you met eyes, it seemed like fate. You just knew he was the One. Then you rushed in and moved quickly to spend plenty of time with him. Well, you just committed the number one dating mistake singles make.

I know: He was everything you’re looking for. He said and did all the right things. The chemistry was off the charts. You even found his quirky habits adorable. You just knew he was IT. You’d found the One. And so you before you knew it, you threw caution to the wind and jumped into a relationship. You spent a glorious weekend together and were already planning a vacation to Cabo next month.

And then kaput. Finito. Nada. You sat there alone making excuses for why his text, email or call never comes.

The #1 dating mistake: The Flame-Out

I call this dating mistake — this tendency to rush in — The Flame-Out Deadly Dating Pattern. I’ve worked with so many women who have had this happen to them. It’s gut wrenching! When the guy is acting like you’re the One and showering you with attention, it’s hard to resist. The problem is when you rush in, you set yourself up for missing red flags and put yourself at risk for an agonizing withdrawal if this man rejects you.

As Helen Fisher, the renowned anthropologist, describes in her fascinating book, Why We Love, romantic love is a real addiction. When we fall in love, serotonin levels fall and resemble the levels found in people with obsessive-compulsive disorders. You become like a craving coke-addict obsessed with your new (drug-like) boyfriend. Losing touch with reality, you see only the positives in the hottie. You lose self-control. Instead you are locked on the target, the fix. And you’re hot wired and ready to do outrageous things, sometimes self-destructive things. Whatever it takes to be with him.

Because of this addictive tendency, it can sometimes take months even years to get over the short-lived relationship with the man you didn’t actually know that well. And that is time you’ll never get back.

Here are six ways to break the Flame-Out dating mistake

Go read my article Finding the One. It contains a detailed description of a dating method that is designed to break your dating mistakes. In the meantime, here are five tips to help you.

Take it slow. No 5-hour dates. Less frequent and shorter dates will slow down the addictive process and allow you to assess whether this is a good guy who is truly interested in being with you.

Write up a list of his negative traits. The addictive brain chemistry blinds you to his faults. This will help you be more realistic.

Continue to date other guys. This forces you to slow things up with the hottie. Best way to avoid the #1 dating mistake.

Do not have sex for at least two to three months. Sex releases the bonding hormone, oxytocin, and will bind you to him even more.

Ground your mind with meditation, yoga or other mind/body practices. This offsets the speedy quality of the love addiction.

Distract yourself. Taking on a major project at work, going on a business trip or vacation with girlfriends, changes your focus and slows down the addiction

If you really want a dating manual to help you find the one, pick up a copy of Love in 90 Days. It contains chapters on the most common dating mistakes and how to overcome them. And go here to read about the Not Perfect-I’ll Pass dead-end dating pattern.