A year ago when people asked me if I had a Tinder I was almost offended. I was so against the app thinking that it was nothing but false relationships and a way of receiving a quick, unhealthy form of self validation.
Then 10 months ago I caved and I downloaded Tinder with zero regrets. I was an avid Tinder user, often finding myself going on the app anytime I was bored. I’d go on it while hanging out with friends, in class and before I went to bed. It was fun and I actually did end up meeting some cool people.
Nothing ever really came out of my using Tinder and I gradually started taking breaks from it until about a month ago when I decided to not only delete the app, but to delete my account entirely. I found myself going on the app aimlessly swiping through faces as I have been for the past 10 months of my life and wondering why I waste my time on it. It had nothing to do with the people on the app or the people that I’ve met while using the app; it was just a self realization that I came to out of nowhere and I felt like I needed to delete it.
It’s been a little over a month since I quit cold turkey, and while I do start to feel an itch to recreate an account whenever I see my friends on it, I haven’t and I’m becoming less interested in making one again.
I’ve noticed I’m way less distracted all the time. When I wasn’t directly distracted from my responsibilities by the app itself, I was often distracted out in public when I would see someone that looked familiar, always wondering if it was “that guy from Tinder.”
It’s almost a relief to walk around in public and know that no one I encounter has seen me on Tinder, at least not recently. I haven’t had to deal with that awkward situation of meeting someone that you just found on Tinder, knowing that they just found you too, in weeks.
I’ve also noticed that I’m actually more comfortable with myself when I’m in situations where I’m talking to people I could see myself being interested in. It’s helped my social interaction skills because I no longer have Tinder as a way to avoid that.
Granted, this personal growth I’m experiencing isn’t merely due to the fact that I deleted a dating app but I’m confident in saying that it has at least helped.
I’d also like to make a disclaimer that I’m still a huge supporter of Tinder for other people. I think it’s an effective way to meet new people and it’s simply fun. I would almost go as far as to say that I was addicted to the app itself, so I would never look at someone differently for using the app.
I’m not going to say that I’m never going to make a Tinder again because I could very easily get over whatever this is I’m going through right now but for the time being, I’m staying off of the app. I’ve found a new level of focus and have reevaluated my priorities and at this point matching with people on Tinder is not one of them. If you’re on Tinder and you’re having a great time, keep doing it but if you’re thinking about deleting it, just cut it off completely.
RIP to my excessively long Tinder phase. You were great, but it’s time to move on. It’s not you, it’s me.