Calming down with directions and going on a get-together (8)

I believe the answer is:

sedating

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'calming down' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'directions and going on a get-together' is the wordplay.
'directions' becomes 'se' (I've seen this in other clues).
'and' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'going on a get-together' becomes 'dating' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'se'+'dating'='SEDATING'

'with' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for sedating that I've seen is " calming down".)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.