You start measuring yourself against people you don’t even respect… just because you’re lonely. Think about that. Lowering your standards, reshaping your personality, tolerating behaviour you’d normally reject — all just to keep someone around who, deep down, you don’t even want. That’s not connection. That’s negotiation with your own self-respect. You convince yourself it’s “better than nothing.” But what you’re really doing is training yourself to accept less than what you actually want. And the longer you stay, the more normal it feels. Until you forget what it even felt like to want more. Loneliness will try to sell you anything. Desperation will make it feel like a good deal. It’s not. Stop measuring yourself against people you wouldn’t even choose if you weren’t afraid to be alone. Leave the room. #datingstandards #selfrespect #loneliness #knowyourworth #moderndating