Ah, romance and love. Now that you’re not a little kid anymore, you might start to develop crushes on people. That’s normal. Or, you might not have those feelings: that’s normal too! But what if you CANNOT. STOP. THINKING. ABOUT. THAT. PERSON?!

What now? Are you ready to embark on a relationship? Before you start sharing your life with someone else, ask yourself if you are:

Ready?
Dating means you are sharing large parts — your time, your dedication, and your emotions — of yourself with another person. It takes some time getting used to it, and you have to make sure that it doesn’t cut into your schoolwork, family, or friend time. It’s so awesome to share your time with someone, but remember to not lose yourself either. Love only when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.

Certain?
Ask yourself: why are you doing this? Is it because your friends are doing it? If you’re seeing someone just for the sake of being able to say that you’re dating, it won’t be fun for either of you and feelings (both of yours!) can get really hurt. It’s cool to stay single and hang out with your girl squad on the weekends. They’re awesome girls and fun to be around — that’s why you’re up to #squadgoals! With or without a love interest, remember that you are already cool, amazing, and impressive.

Confident? Have faith in and trust yourself, even when you know things are going to be hard. Because you are sharing your life with someone else, sometimes you have to make compromises. Some compromises are fine, like hanging out with his friends this weekend instead of yours. Some are not. If you don’t feel comfortable, know that you don’t have to agree to everything.

Aware?
Sometimes people break-up, if you’re going through this, don’t worry you’re young and this is the time when you should be discovering who you are. Even though breaking up can be painful, remember that you still have an amazing circle of friends and family who will be there for you (another reason to not ignore them while you are dating someone!). They got your back, girl!