Search Results: dating multiple people at a time

So I've been living with my partner for about 7 months now. I separated from my ex-wife about 18 months ago and with the separation I lost my job, and with the pandemic I lost the job I got after that. Having been married a long time and having moved around the country I don't really have any friends. My partner has a good social life and a great job. As lockdown has been coming to an end and life returning to normal her behaviour has been changing a lot and it's been making me anxious and insecure which is probably making things worse. Our relationship began with her looking at me with big eyes, texting and sexting a lot, complimenting me all the time, wanting to have lots of sex and being adventurous.

During the lockdown, I started my own business and it's keeping me afloat but not a good living, she's gone back to work and I sit in the house largely passing time cleaning and exercising. We go out with her friends and I get on with them but then when she goes out without me I have nothing to do myself. She's doesn't compliment me anymore, sometimes ignores my messages especially the flirty kind, doesn't seem interested in sex at all anymore and has this look that screams not into doing anything adventurous when it's suggested. I feel like she now sees me as a loser, but on the flip side she wants to go on holiday with me and her family in a couple of weeks but I feel like it might be to keep up appearances for them. The more I try to talk to her the more she moves away from me and then I worry more and more.

When we met I had a job before the lockdown took it, I was also dating multiple people which she knew, I guess I looked attractive and confident then and I don't now, I feel like her dog sat around waiting for her to come home.

When you are single and look for a partner do you usually just focus on dating one person at a time or multiple potential partners until you get exclusive with one of them?

I've recently started dating on OkCupid and I'm talking to 18 different women. This is the first time I've ever tried dating (I'm 24 by the way) and I honestly don't know what I'm doing. I just found a bunch of women that I'm interested in and started chatting with them at the same simultaneously and over time I weed them out and choose the one that's right for me. I've only been doing this for 10 days now so none of the relationships are official. I have not met any of them in person and I'm not having sex until I found the one I want to be with. I just know that this is how my mom dated after my dad passed away, and she's been with my stepdad for almost 10 years now. I feel somewhat weird doing this, is this how dating actually works. Should I keep the fact that I'm talking to other women a secret? I hate lying.