Whatever your reasons for coming out as a single person in your 40s, it is normal to be fearful about dating and meeting new people. Mostly singles over 40 have gone through rough break-ups and losing significant others and it might as well have happened quite recently. A feeling of recent loss or betrayal can play an important role while in the process of opening to a new person.

Also, though being in your 40's, you still feel young and full of ambitions, you are old enough into adulthood to start rejecting simple enjoyable things you used to indulge in your 20s or 30s. Visiting outrageous concerts seems long gone, as well as partying and going out often.

Things are often complicated by children if a person has got them by his 40s, especially if they come into their teens.

So far the easiest way to start dating while being 40 and over is to discover the online stage. No doubt being not acquainted with it, dating websites and apps might seem like an option for the younger generation. But by now the industry of online dating has grown and broadened so that it could suit the tastes of any audience. So people over 40 have a vast variety of platforms for joining in order to find future relationships and dating over 40.

For those of you who are over the age of 40 and are willing to find a perfect match, we compelled dating sites and apps, which will make your journey to the world of romance pleasant and fascinating.

Dating.com

The list of online dating sites for people over 40 can not be imagined without Dating.com. The platform covers all the needs people in this age category might have. It uses a wide range of communication features and tools in helping people from across the globe come in touch. The approach that has developed through over 20 years of work has already helped thousands of people in finding their true love.

When you join Dating.com, you can start your search using a perfectly designed system. If you want to stay within your age category, simply use a filter to show those who are in their 40s. Set all the categories that are important for you and begin the journey into the world of seeking romance. You can choose a partner according to place, interests and hobbies and even hair colour.

Top advice for dating in your 40s:

1. Be realistic about expectations. Singles over 40 often use dating sites in the belief of finding the one and only match from the first attempt. But it is not how dating works in general. Even though dating sites allow you to choose a partner based on one’s preferences, it is still not the perfect tool, so be ready to meet disappointment when you first go on a real date. Don’t be strict with yourself or the person you meet, it is nobody’s fault you didn’t become an ideal couple.
2. Rather than make yourself a list of qualities you definitely want to see on a future date, be less demanding and lookout for something out of your preferred variety that might as well please you. Finding the right person is not the same as going shopping, it is as well a process of adjusting to each other and accepting the traits that among others are putting you off, and it is a constant work both partners have to do.
3. Don’t be in a hurry. Again, singles of 40 and over are often trying to accelerate events. Even if the final goal is marriage and both of you look eye to eye in this respect, it is impossible to jump straight to the aisle without knowing each other well. Slow down and take your time to find out more about each other. Spend more time together, get acquainted with the friends and family of your significant other. Don’t leap over any stage of any normal relationship just because you think you are running out of time - it is certainly the wrong concept.
4. Also, don’t start discussing your further plans too soon. Some singles over 40 even tend to put it in their profiles in dating apps or discuss it on the very first date. There is no need to hurry, as it raises the stakes too high from the very beginning. Even if you actually see eye to eye on getting married later or at least having a long-term relationship, you should slowly come and adjust to this idea. Otherwise, the constant fear of failure will become an unbearable burden for both partners.
5. Bring it into real life. After matching with someone, don’t postpone a real meeting for too long. Even the best online dating sites for people over 40 are only aimed to bring the two people together, but not to be a place for a long-term commitment. Meet your date as soon as possible, do everything the way you would if you met offline and don’t substitute personal offline connections.
6. Going offline also gives more chances to learn more about each other. While staying within the borders of online communication, you have no opportunity to see your partner's real behaviour and get acquainted with their habits. So the longer you postpone your real meeting, the more chances are you are getting seriously mistaken, as even online relationships can get quite far and when you finally meet in real life it will be too late to admit you are actually not compatible with each other.
7. Take your kids into account. It is most common among people over 40 to have children. This is thought to be the complicating compound in any relationship, so singles in this age category are often not comfortable introducing their new partners to the descendants they have. There is a widespread idea, especially among women, that children will turn off possible dates.
8. In reality the situation is quite the opposite. Many single men and women in their 40s say they will accept their partner's children as they understand the importance of the family already existing. Moreover, they claim to try and establish good relationships with these kids as their opinion often influences the decision of a parent. So there is no need to worry about being a single parent looking for a new love.