I'm 26M and going to be brutally honest – I'm terrible at dating. Extremely introverted and have only been on one actual date in my life, which was a disaster. Barely spoke and she looked like she wanted to escape.
Been trying dating apps for months but my conversations always die after 3 messages. I panic and either take forever to respond or send boring stuff like "how was your day?"
When I do get matches, I chicken out asking them out because I have no idea where to go or what to do. Movies seem awkward, dinner too intense, and I'm not a bar person.
I've been watching YouTube dating coaches but some want like $400 for coaching which I can't afford as a broke grad student. Also seeing people mention AI dating apps that cost $10/month instead of hundreds. Has anyone tried these? Do they actually help with conversation and date ideas or just another scam?
Basic questions: How do you plan a first date that isn't awkward? At what point do you know you want a second date? How do you go from small talk to actually getting to know someone?
I know I'm overthinking but I genuinely have no clue how normal people do this. Any advice appreciated because I'm tired of being alone but feel completely lost.
TL;DR: 26M who sucks at dating, considering dating coaches vs AI apps, need basic dating advice