If you’ve ever been on a dating app, you know that it’s a hot mess out there. Some people are looking for relationships while others are just down to hit it and quit it. After extended periods of time swiping left and right, it can become a pity party of “I’m never going to find anyone” mixed in with “everyone sucks and I’m dying alone,” which is why I decided to delete all of my dating apps to gain a new perspective on what it’s like to be a single twenty-something.

Here’s what I learned (and learned to love):

I Learned The Importance Of Free Time

I’m the type of person who always plans to go somewhere or to do something (or even someone). After I stopped focusing on going out on dates and trying to find the “next best guy,” I realized that dating took up a lot of the time I could have spent hanging out with friends or binge-watching a popular Netflix series.

It’s not that dating can’t be fun; it’s that sitting in my pajamas and eating ice cream feels so much better!

I Started Focusing On Myself

While on dating apps, I felt like a lot of my experience included second-guessing if my profile would attract the right kind of person or wondering if my punchy one-liners would be enough to encourage the first date. It takes a lot of effort to get out there and date complete strangers on the internet, and when I stopped, I was able to take a step back and look at the big picture things I wanted to accomplish in my life.

I Became More Confident

Since I wasn’t out there in the cyber world trying to find a potential mate, I started approaching men in real life (I know, what a concept right!?!) more than ever before. It was intimidating at first, but once I learned that guys were shocked by the fact that a girl was making the first move, it became a challenge to meet new guys out and about.

I Learned To Love Again

I’m a firm believer that in order to love someone else, you need to love yourself first. Not that I ever struggled with self-love before this experience, but getting rid of the annoying messages and know that I wasn’t constantly being judged on all of the dating apps really freed my mind from all of that clutter.

I was able to look at myself in the mirror without any makeup (and a face full of blemishes) and still feel beautiful. I was also able to appreciate the little things throughout my day that made me smile.

If you’ve thought about going on a dating app detox, I suggest you try it for at least a month and see how you feel. The worst thing that will happen is that you save time and energy by not going out on dates and you catch up on your favorite Netflix series.