How To Wean Off Of Dating Apps
Three simple tips to stop your dating app addiction in its tracks.
We are all guilty of spending way too much time on gay dating apps. You know, the ones that take up half of your iPhone screen (Grindr, Tinder, Scruff, Jack’d – and God knows what else I’m too old to know about). In many of my posts I talk about how to best approach dating using these apps but sometimes you hit a wall with these things. Sometimes, you just need a break. When I get sick of dating I know it’s better for me to take a break rather than meet new guys with a jaded attitude. A human being can only talk about their favorite TV shows and restaurants so many times in a month before wanting to die.
For those of us who need some time to back off, what can we do? Well, you can just delete the app but often that’s how you realize you have become addicted . It’s simple enough to delete, but way too easy to re-download when you feel lonely at 1 AM and have no one to talk to. Here are some tips for how to get off and stay off the apps for however long you need to reenergize yourself:
Give yourself a timeline. If you delete an app with no time commitment, you won’t feel as guilty for hopping right back on. 2 weeks is a good period to regather your thoughts and figure out if you want to give it another try. A month is even better. And for the superheroes, 6 months or a year is an amazing way to find yourself and renegotiate how you want to approach dating.
Replace your app time with a productive activity. Maybe that hour that you waste sitting on the apps after work can be replaced with the gym, art, trying a new restaurant, Tumblr, Pinterest, working on your resume. Anything that gives you a tangible replacement and is productive is game.
Tell someone what you’re doing. Similar to the concept of a gym or diet buddy, you may need an “app deleted” buddy to keep you honest. Tell a friend what you’re doing and your timeline for doing it. If you promise yourself 2 weeks of no apps and you’re forwarding nudes to your friend for approval on day 6, you failed.
Hopefully these simple tips give you the time you need to clear your mind and get back into the dating game with a better attitude!