What makes Leos nervous?

Here’s What You Find Most Stressful About Dating, Based On Your Zodiac Sign

Consider the word «date.» Did your heart skip a beat? Or did your stomach drop with anxiety? Chances are it was a bit of both because, let’s face it, dating isn’t easy. There’s a lot of uncertainty and pressure, but also a ton of excitement, fun, and potential too. So yeah, dating is stressful for pretty much everyone, but what you consider the most stressful part of dating can vary greatly depending on your zodiac sign. For some, it’s a fear of rejection or being hurt, while for others it’s dread over having their lives disrupted in some way. It’s telling that, despite these concerns and anxieties, people are still swiping and agreeing to go on dates. Ultimately, it comes down to knowing that when a date does go well, and you both feel an unmistakable and incomparable spark, there’s just nothing quite like it in the world.

It’s natural and normal to be stressed out about dating, but it doesn’t have to stop you from meeting people or avoid dates altogether. That’s because once you understand the source of your stress, it gets a lot easier to combat it and take measures to help mitigate it. That said, here’s what’s likely stressing you the eff out on or before date night, based on your zodiac sign.

Aries (March 21 — April 19): Feeling out of control.

martin-dm/E+/Getty Images

For confident Aries, taking risks is something they feel comfortable with, but only so long as they’re in total control, which is why dating can be so stressful for them. They’re willing to take a leap, but knowing they’re to some degree in another person’s hands can cause a great deal of anxiety for them, and Aries rarely sweats much of anything.

Taurus (April 20 — May 20): Getting out of your routine.

Taurus is a grounded earth sign who truly appreciates their comfy routine. They only take very calculated risks, so dating can feel very much outside their comfort zone. That explains why many of their romantic relationships begin as friendships, rather than with strangers, because Taurus has less stress and anxiety of the unknown in those cases.

Gemini (May 21 — June 20): Worrying about your date thinks of you.

Gemini gives off a natural air of confidence. This is thanks to their connection to Mercury and how it gives them the gift of banter. They can talk to anyone about anything with wit and charm. But below the surface, Gemini does have insecurities just like everyone else. In their case, it’s worrying about what others think of them and being judged. So, a first date and making a great impression can be super stressful for Gemini.

Cancer (June 21 — July 22): Fear of getting hurt again.

For emotional and loving Cancer, dating is both the best and worst thing ever. On the one hand, they do want to settle down with a partner they can count on to be reliable, loyal, and faithful. This needs to be someone they can give all their heart to as well. But on the other hand, Cancer has likely learned the hard way how opening up to someone can make them very vulnerable. This all makes meeting someone new exciting, but also very stressful

Leo (July 23 — Aug. 22): Fear of rejection.

PeopleImages/E+/Getty Images

Leo is known for both their generous nature and their, ahem, healthy ego. Leo has a lot of confidence and knows their worth. And yet, they also, deep down, have a great deal of fear of rejection. They love to be loved and when someone isn’t caught up in their charisma, it hurts. So a date, particularly a first date where there’s a chance that could happen, gives even Leo a case of the nerves.

Virgo (Aug. 23 — Sept. 22): Dreading the small talk.

Virgo may be ruled by Mercury, the planet associated with communication, but that doesn’t mean they like small talk. In fact, they often loathe it. Virgo’s more interested in a real conversation that gets deeper and will allow them to truly observe and understand the other person. That way, they can assess if they meet their critical standards. But also, Virgo’s small talk skills aren’t the strongest and they dread those awkward silences.

Libra (Sept. 23 — Oct. 22): Feeling like you have to be “on” all the time.

Libra is a social butterfly who loves everyone around them to be having a great time. They put a lot of pressure on themselves to make that happen, to the point where they sometimes forget they’re supposed to be learning if someone’s the right fit for them. Plus, all this needing to be “on» is exhausting, and that kind of self-imposed pressure can be extremely stressful.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 — Nov. 21): Opening up to someone new.

Deep down, water sign Scorpio wants to fall into a forever kind of love. They’re very emotional and want to connect with someone they can trust and be vulnerable around. But that takes time for this famously private sign. It also takes a lot of effort for Scorpio to open up, and yet they know it’s necessary and that it can cause a lot of anxiety.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 — Dec. 21): Making plans and sticking to them.

Vyacheslav Chistyakov/Tetra images/Getty Images

Sagittarius is a free spirit who values their independence, but they also want love and companionship — provided it doesn’t hold them back in any way. As a result, dating can be both fun for Sagittarius, who loves to meet new people and have new experiences, but also stressful because it means making a plan in advance and keeping it. They like to keep things a bit more casual and fluid; having a time and date on their calendar they’ve committed to just makes them feel boxed in.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 — Jan. 19): Finding the time to date.

Capricorn is the most driven and ambitious sign in the zodiac and, as a result, they’re busy! While Cap wants that connection and to have a partner squeezing in time for dates, that may or may not go well and can be stressful. That’s particularly true if they’ve had a string of bad luck. It’s easy for them to be discouraged knowing how little free time they have, and also for them to feel as though it’s been wasted.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 — Feb. 18): Fear you won’t be understood.

Aquarius is a unique soul who follows their path without apology. They’re very independent and have a group of friends who adores them. As a result, they oftentimes aren’t all that worried about romance. However, when they do decide it’s something they want to pursue, they can find themselves getting worried they won’t be able to find someone who truly gets them. And like everyone else, Aquarius wants to be loved and appreciated for who they are.

Pisces (Feb. 19 — March 20): Looking for “the one.”

Pisces is a romantic in every sense of the word. They’re truly looking for that fairytale kind of love. While there’s nothing wrong with that, Pisces can often try to make everyone they date into “the one,” which naturally leads to a lot of disappointment and heartbreak. Go through that enough times and dating, though still appealing, can be plenty stressful too.

Everyone has their reasons and experiences that can make dating feel like the most stressful thing ever, but the good news is that you’re not in it alone. And when it clicks, wow, is it worth it. So, take a deep breath and hang in there. You’ve got this.

Your Emotional Secret Weapon, According to the Zodiac

While it’s tempting to write off the more difficult aspects of being alive as merely a price to pay, even the worst feelings can serve a purpose. They can catalyze an opportunity for healing and self-preservation, or call attention to things that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. They are ruthless but necessary. And different signs are better suited than others to capitalizing on their unique potential. For instance, Cancers understand how to harness their fear for self-preservation, while Scorpios can spin gold from jealousy. While these aren’t emotional states any of us want to indulge in or prolong, we’d be wise to appreciate their rightful place in our greater psychic ecosystem. Which is why, to cap off a year filled with myriad challenges, I’m offering a little guidance below as to which challenging emotions each sign is poised to make good use of next year.

Aries: Anger

Unlike the Hulk, an Aries can still be extremely likable when angry. You’re ruled by Mars, the god of war, so it makes sense that, for you, getting fired up is often more exciting than exhausting. Anger is actionable, and you get off on making things happen. Saying yes or no to something with the full force of your intent is satisfying, and the state of your rage can help you cut through the paralyzing indecision that can dog others. Anger is a bath of ice water, a screaming alarm clock, a tick tick tick that demands your immediate and total focus. When you’re pissed, you’re fully present in a way that can be healing and cathartic. It’s an adrenaline wave you can ride to enlightenment… at least until you fall asleep.

Taurus: Neediness

You bulls play it cool on the surface but, deep down, you need your things and your people, and that’s just how it’s got to be. You’re a possessive sign, and while you don’t need the whole world, you do need your own corner of it. If that’s a little suffocating for your friends and family and even yourself, then so be it. However uncomfortable it is to sustain the intensity of your attachments, that unusually high level of commitment strengthens the fibers of your connections enough to withstand the vicissitudes of life—marriages, kids, job moves, relocations, religious awakenings (and slumbers), divorces, illness, loss, and more. None of that stands any chance against your ability to put in the work decade after decade to preserve the stability of your life. Because you need it that way.

Gemini: Anxiety

The frenetic Geminian mind can process more stimuli than most without overheating, meaning that for the twins, an anxious system is still a functioning one. You’re happiest when you’re learning something new, which means you’re continually transforming—moving from ignorance to knowledge. And with frequent change comes attendant feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. It’s hard to exist in a prolonged state of nervousness, but the engine of your curiosity and appetite for mental occupation has more horsepower than other signs. Although you will need to rest your fluttering wings from time to time, you’re somewhat at peace with a certain amount of baseline tension—it keeps things interesting, at least.

Cancer: Fear

Cancers are the most fearful signs in the zodiac, and being in touch with what scares you is an incredibly difficult thing for most people to sit with. But the function of fear is essential to keeping you safe. It tells you not only what is actually dangerous—steep cliffs, hornets nests, people who are too charming—but what may present a unique threat to you based on your personal boundaries. And that enables you to effectively weed out the bad ones, to the envy of those around you with a more lax emotional security detail. A Cancer’s primary objective is to keep your home (however you define it) a safe, warm, and welcoming utopia amid the chaos of the rest of the world. Your steel walls shield you from all manner of cold and harsh winds (and sweet-talking interlopers), which enables you to stay soft and cuddly to your people on the inside.

Leo: Pride

You’re famous for your pride, Leo, and when you’re confronting a blow to your ego, the indignance and how-dare-they-ness of it all could not be more magnified. Why would anyone even want to hurt me? you may ask yourself. That may sound like a self-centered question, but you’re unusually capable of deep self-reflection. The moral hazard of excessive pride is awarding it before it has been earned, but Leonine pride is all about asking yourself who you are and what you’re made of before you congratulate yourself. When you dig into why something hurt you, you’re also just as likely to uncover—and investigate—your own hidden values and wants. In other words, you wield your egotism for self-improvement rather than stagnation, because you’re not satisfied to take your own side until you’re sure you’re right. Then you’re cleared to pop off and roar.

Virgo: Disgust

The slimy feeling of disgust is an unpleasant one to be sure, and Virgos, you probably experience it multiple times more each day than your fellow astrological denizens. But though its obvious function is to keep you clean—which you appreciate, welcome, and celebrate—it works even harder on your behalf. Your heightened sense of nausea helps you sniff out individuals and situations that are out of sync with your ethics and values. As the most in-the-weeds, detail-oriented sign in the zodiac, it can be dangerously easy for you to miss the forest. But your highly reactive abdominal pit will tell you right away, in the clearest of terms, when someone or something is an absolute no.

Libra: Lovesickness

It’s not advisable to ruminate too long in romantic angst or longing. Unless you’re a Libra, in which case the universe gives you a bit of a pass. As the sign of partnership in all its forms, you’re naturally perked for opportunities to connect with others. When you fall for someone, even if the relationship is complicated, your feelings are usually fairly pure and simple: you just really love them! Even when unrequited, your capacity for desire can be a really fertile psychic space for you to explore what you like about yourself, since what we love does mirror back to us our own values, tastes, proclivities, seductions, and so forth. You’re like the opposite of Narcissus, who couldn’t incubate affection for anyone but himself. For you, the opportunity to fall in love with others is a window into loving yourself—which just so happens to make you more appealing to those around you.

Scorpio: Jealousy

I’m jealous of your ability to harness jealousy for the good, Scorpio. You are the sign of desire, so it’s only natural for you to see things others have and want them for yourself. While most would find this an uncomfortable, destabilizing state to be in; for you it’s a powerful divining tool for sussing out what you really want so you don’t waste time. While it’s never fun to want and not have, it’s worth paying attention to exactly what sparks those hot flames of envy. As a fixed water sign, you don’t covet things indiscriminately—in fact, you’re fairly discerning about where you place your energy. So when you feel incensed that someone gets a job or accolade you never considered pursuing before, that’s a cue to yourself that maybe that’s really a thing you want, independently of that other person. And while you can’t stop someone else from achieving their goals, you can absolutely use your feelings about them to realize your own.

Sagittarius: Carelessness

As the centaurs of the zodiac, you’re one to spiritually (and physically) clomp indiscriminately through your life guided only by caprice and the direction of the wind. You answer to no one when it comes to pursuing what makes you happy, which can frustrate anyone who might be implicated in the inevitable clean-up. But your tendency to act without worrying about consequences isn’t simply the shenanigans of a rascal (though it absolutely can be that, too)—it’s you being fully present in the moment you’re in, and not worrying about the future. The earnest and singular pursuit of joy is a noble one, and you’re much more likely to discover gold (literal and figurative) because you aren’t exploring according to someone else’s map. You just get a restless feeling and gallop off into the sunset.

Capricorn: Boredom

Boredom is tough. For some, it’s a more unbearable state of being than deep sadness or hot rage, offering no narrative to get you through the drudgery of it. There’s no drama in it, only the mundanity of the task at hand and the promise of… incremental progress? But you, Capricorn, have a special tolerance for powering through unstimulating tasks if you must because you don’t need to feel like a protagonist while you’re doing something. You can find comfort in getting things done one step at a time, and because you’re not desperate for entertainment, you’re able to calmly assess when boredom is a necessary nuisance in service of a worthy goal or when it’s time to pivot because the journey ahead is not worth the schlep. That saves you a lot of time—which is actually a very exciting outcome!

Aquarius: Loneliness

As the coolest creatures in the zodiac, Aquarians are exceptional at sloughing off quotidien concerns in favor of galactic-scale ideas. The way you think is at least a decade ahead; you’re fatigued by cliches before they’re cliche. All that emotional distance between you and the world as it is now can be lonely. And loneliness is hard to suffer for everyone, but you are somehow, impossibly, at home with the feeling of alienation. It’s not that you’re immune to the loneliness and disconnection—you really get how it feels to be at an odd angle to your social environment. But that’s what makes you able to appreciate and understand all manner of weirdness in others. And by embodying that tolerance, you inspire others to expand their capacity for acceptance as well.

Pisces: Sadness

Sadness is an overwhelming emotion, Pisces, and as a water sign you’re able to weather the tidal waves of disintegration and reconstitution that characterize the feeling of pure grief. No one gets out of it, but not everyone gets through it the way you can. It’s natural for humans to build defenses against the disorientation of sorrow, but the longer we can sit with it, the more quickly we can recover and move forward. You’re a mutable sign, which means you have the psychological flexibility to straddle contradictions and comprehend the incomprehensible. Even when it’s harrowing, destabilizing, and impossible, your ability to simply feel your sadness makes you not only able to heal yourself, but it endows you with the empathy to hold space for others and help them heal as well.

The Zodiac Signs Most Likely To Talk Your Ear Off

There are ups and downs to hanging out with talkative or quiet people — both have pros and cons. Some of the positive aspects of being around introverted people are that these individuals don’t get desperate for attention, typically consider how their words will affect other people, genuinely listen during conversations, and don’t get distracted too easily, per Introvert, Dear. A few quiet zodiac signs likely to have those introverted traits include Scorpio, Pisces, Cancer, and Virgo (via BestLife).

On the other hand, spending time with outgoing people can be significantly more fun. According to Science of People, extroverted people are good at preventing awkward moments, empowering other people, and even setting people up romantically. Some zodiac signs are much more extroverted than others, so they probably have those outgoing characteristics and will likely talk your ear off in any setting. So, if you make plans with any of the following signs, expect them to talk — a lot.

Fearless Aries

Born between March 21 and April 19, Aries is famous for being willing to brave any challenge, including the challenge of saying what other people might not have the courage — or nerve — to say. «Ruled by Mars, their passion will get the better of them, and you will know their opinion on any subject they are fired up about. Their passion is palpable and has to be seen and heard, or they won’t be satisfied till it is. This makes them bold and blunt talkers, but talkers nonetheless,» Megan Michelena, an astrologer and podcast co-host, told Bustle. Thus, do you know those people who bring up politics or other sensitive topics at parties despite not knowing everyone else’s stance because those people want to talk about their opinions anyway? You can expect that they might be Aries.

Plus, people belonging to this dauntless fire sign tend to enjoy competition, being challenged, and taking charge of situations with a perseverant attitude, per Zodiac Sign. So, we expect Aries to talk their way into getting what they want to beat the competition or get their dream position. This sign will likely keep speaking until others understand the Aries’s perspective — or just feel worn out by all that talking.

Conversational Gemini

With birthdays between May 21 and June 20, Gemini is arguably the most talkative zodiac sign of them all, per YourTango. Gemini is a chatty air sign that could likely keep talking all day and night and still want to continue the discussion when everyone else wants to go home or go to sleep. Since this clever sign enjoys participating in conversation so much, Geminis talk to family members, friends, and strangers about anything and everything, sometimes just to talk.

As fun as Geminis are to talk to, their chatty personalities can lead to gossipy attitudes and even spilling secrets. «Gemini is a two-faced personality who cannot maintain secrets after making a vow,» Emily Newman, a psychic reader/astrologer, told BestLife. After all, it’s a near-impossible challenge for such a talkative sign to keep everything in their heads without saying it, even if someone tells the Gemini not to share the information. Therefore, as enjoyable as it might be to have light conversations with Geminis, you might not want to let them know your deepest, most private thoughts and dreams, as they might share what you tell them with others during their next conversation.

Cheerful Sagittarius

Of course, such a happy-go-lucky zodiac sign likes to talk. Since this sign is naturally so happy, Sagittarius’ excitement about life can cause them to talk about anything for a while and keep the conversation going for what feels like forever (via Astrofame), and they’ll probably enjoy every second of the conversation. People belonging to the Sagittarius zodiac sign have birthdays between November 22 and December 21, and we think of Sagittarius people as those perky supporting characters in TV shows and movies who always seem to be smiling and have a fun outlook on life — and who can be just a little too chatty at times.

One aspect to look out for in Sagittarius is that sometimes they say words that they know aren’t true just to tell people what they want to hear (via Pinkvilla). So, if you ask a Sagittarius for advice or their opinion about anything, you should make sure that what they’re saying is genuine and that they aren’t just going on about whatever they think will make you happy, as they might do that more often than you’d initially expect.

Attention-loving Leos

Born between July 23 and August 22, most Leos love being in the spotlight and having all eyes on them, so they’re talkative people. «This fixed fire sign is noticed when they walk in the room, and their voices help them hold the attention of the room, making them very chatty and friendly to everyone they meet. They are the holders of the light, conversation, and attention to all they meet or come into contact with,» Megan Michelena told Bustle. So, if you want someone to be there to keep the conversation active the next time you go to an event, consider bringing a Leo with you.

According to BestLife, Leos are the most outgoing zodiac sign of all, so expect people belonging to this sign to talk everyone’s ear off in various situations and settings. While other signs might feel nervous about talking in front of a crowd, Leos will typically enjoy it and want to stay on that stage for as long as possible. This zodiac sign loves to have fun above all else, so conversations with Leos are typically fun, exciting, and engaging — as long as you don’t try to steal their spotlight.