It happens to the best of us!
I have been in a relationship for the past seven months, and it's been wonderful for many reasons. It's cliché and easy to say that companionship and intimacy are nice, but being in a relationship has many underrated perks. For me, one of the biggest perks of being boo'd up is that I don't have to go on any dates with random people anymore. Using Hinge and going on fruitless first dates was by far the worst part of being single, and if you are in the trenches of dating apps right now, my heart goes out to you! I promise, you don't have to meet your partner on the apps. Pew Research found that only 1 in 10 adults in a relationship met each other through a dating app. I am living proof that you can still meet your girlfriend through an adult recreational dodgeball league.
When I was one of the 53% of people ages 18-29 who had used a dating app, I didn't realize how bad most of these dates were. Looking back, I can't help but feel bad for my past self. The worst kinds of first dates are the ones where you realize within the first 10 minutes that you don't have any chemistry at all, and that it is not a good fit. I have been on my fair share of these, and I never had the courage to get up after 30 minutes, say, "This isn't working," and leave. I don't know which is worse: wasting somebody's evening on a fruitless date, or leaving unceremoniously early without giving someone more of a chance. I think doing the latter will make the person feel bad about themselves.
I used to feel embarrassed when I went on what I thought was a great first date, only to get rejected over text later. It wasn't that I thought I was so great, and it was absurd for somebody to reject me. I was just embarrassed that I had misread the vibe so badly! But most of the time, rejection is just redirection toward what you should be doing. You shouldn't let one absurdly bad rejection stop you from trying to find love, even if said rejection was a huge disappointment.