I’ve been reflecting on how to improve my dating game and recently I have managed to develop a more easeful relationship with apps. Firstly, I use just one, which saves time swiping away the same faces on different apps. Secondly, I only access it during intentionally bracketed time. I choose a 45-minute window after dinner and that is it, which means I look forward to it and value it.
Apps stimulate dopamine and can become addictive. So I always plan a dopamine-inducing activity after my app-sesh. Either a short meditation, yoga stretches or a swift walk around the block.
Over the years, I have learned to keep an open mind when interacting with new people. We only get a tiny snapshot of their world, and our brains rush to fill in the rest, constantly sending us down dark alleys of misinformation.
When I replied to Lauren’s* message, it was a leap of faith. I like a detailed profile and hers was sparse. I also want a photo that makes me smile. You and your pet in matching jumpers; you abruptly exiting a paddleboard; you standing under a sign that says, “No waiting”.
“I was called a ‘fuckboi’, which I had to look up!”