Imagine it’s Sunday morning. I’ve woken up with a slight hangover and feel like getting a little frisky.
I roll over in bed to snuggle into my boyfriend – but oh wait, I’m single. There is nobody.
I make the mistake of going on Instagram for an aimless scroll to fill the void.
But instead of pictures of cute puppies or hilarious memes, I immediately get pictures of my happy coupled friends having brunch, morning swims, or heading out on a fun road trip together.
Ergh, Sundays are the WORST! I call them the Sunday blues because I never feel as alone as I do on Sundays.
Jana Hocking feels extra lonely on a Sunday morning and finds herself spending more time on dating apps
I fought this doomsday with my best friend when we lived together. We would purposely make fun plans to avoid feeling down.
It was like the best date day, but with each other. We’d set our alarms late, wake up and go get coffee at our local seaside café, then come home, dress up in beautiful dresses and make our way to an art gallery.
We’d check out every exhibit currently going on, then stop at the nearest wine bar for a glass (or two) of vino and a bowl of olives. Before going home to binge-watch rom-coms with a pizza. It was the best day ever.
And then she met a man. Then she got married. And then had a child. And Sundays turned oh, so blue again.
It’s for this reason that dating apps report that their busiest day for swiping is a Sunday. Yes, it is precisely this day that we panic and decide that it is time to find a partner. Queue a swiping frenzy.
Jana revealed that Bumble is experiencing a 15 percent spike in Sunday matches, and Tinder is experiencing 10 percent more signups and 35 percent more swipe activity
Bumble says they are experiencing a 15 percent spike in Sunday matches, and Tinder is experiencing 10 percent more signups and 35 percent more swipe activity.
We are all thirsty for it. You feel a little less alone, don’t you?
I spoke to a friend who has finally found her soul mate after a hectic 10 years of dud situations.
She said that on particularly rough Sundays, when she felt most single, she purposely took her dog for a walk to a park that is always full of screaming kids. She did this to remind herself that the grass isn’t always greener.
The sight of parents looking stressed as they tried to control their children instantly made her feel better.
She would treat herself to a manicure and remember that she had a whole Sunday to do whatever she wanted.
Another friend said that after one too many lonely Sundays, she decided she needed a plan of attack.
She downloaded Tinder, Bumble and Hinge. Promised herself to have two dates a week and gave herself a ‘glow up’ in preparation. She dyed her brunette hair blonde, joined a gym and started watching makeup tutorials on YouTube.
She even got a life coach.
Just knowing that she was actively working to become her best self and, in her words, “a bit of a catch” made her feel less lonely and more determined.
She said it’s impossible to feel sorry for yourself if you have a plan and a goal.
“I’m back on the apps, doing hot laps in my gym gear around my area and focusing on becoming my most ‘dateable’ me,” said Jana
Three months, and many dates later, she finally met her match. She met him on the dating app Hinge and said there was an instant connection.
No games, no texts that were difficult to decipher. She said she was just being open and upfront about what she was looking for, and so was he. Isn’t that the dream?
Three months later, they moved in together and have been happily on their honeymoon for two years now.
So she inspired me to do the same. No more boring Sundays, I’m going to make the best of it.
I’m back on the apps, doing hot laps in my gym clothes around my area, and focusing on becoming my most “dateable” me.
And if all else works… well, I think I’ll visit the nearest park with kids screaming just to remind myself, hey, it could be worse.