The apps create a sense of momentum. Every swipe and every match feels like you're moving closer to "the one." But after a while, I've realised that movement and progress aren't necessarily the same thing. Checking who liked you becomes a habit. It fills quiet moments when you're bored, lonely, or looking for a distraction. Before long, you're swiping simply because it's there. Stepping away made me realise that the habit wasn't adding anything positive to my life anymore.

So how do I feel about deleting them?

At first, great. When I was ill and stuck at home, not so great. I've put genuine effort into dating over the last few years, but endless swiping, even mindful swiping wasn't serving me anymore.

I also need to remind myself that I'm 34, not 84. I travel. I have hobbies. I have friends, family, wonderful colleagues, and a life that extends far beyond my front door. Sometimes I relate to those memes where someone is sitting at home reading a book while expecting the love of their life to magically knock on the front door. But that's not my reality. I'm not sitting at home waiting for fate to find me.

Deleting the apps suddenly felt like I was closing myself off from opportunities. If I wasn't on the apps, how would men ask me out? How would I meet someone? When I looked at my hobbies, I started to understand why that thought crossed my mind.

• Tennis (all female)

• Personal training (all female)

• Reformer Pilates (mostly female, although occasionally mixed)

At one point, I even found myself wondering whether I should join a running club purely for the male exposure.

The apps provide a constant stream of introductions, even if many of them aren't particularly meaningful. But when I look back over the last few months, I realise I've met plenty of new people. I attended my cousin's hen do, where I met friends from different stages of her life. I saw many of them again at the wedding. I've welcomed new colleagues into the company and helped them get settled. I've had conversations with people I'd never met before. All of those interactions count.

They may not be dates, but they are still evidence that my world is expanding, not shrinking. Looking at my hobbies, perhaps there is room to broaden them. My current lifestyle has been built around fitness, wellbeing, and things that genuinely make me happy. It optimises health and happiness, not necessarily dating opportunities. Right now, my life feels emotionally healthy but romantically isolated.

So perhaps this is the season where I try something new. Maybe I join Parkrun. Maybe I finally take the leap and join social tennis. Maybe I simply stay open to opportunities without forcing them.

Someone challenged me this week with an interesting question:

"If you knew you were going to meet the love of your life in one or two years' time, would you change your habits?"

My answer was no.

I enjoy my hobbies because they give me energy. I enjoy travelling, spending time with friends and family, going to nice restaurants and, equally, spending an evening on the sofa binge-watching a TV series. The life I've built isn't a placeholder until someone arrives. Of course, I'm not pretending I'll never have moments of doubt. When I'm ill, stuck at home, or it's that time of the month when emotions seem to dial themselves up a few notches, I may well feel a little low. I may miss the comfort of knowing there are potential introductions waiting behind a swipe. I may wonder if I've closed myself off from opportunities or if everyone else is moving forward while I'm standing still.

But feelings aren't facts.

Those moments come and go, and they don't change the reality of the life I've built. A life filled with friends, family, hobbies, travel, laughter, and people who genuinely care about me. The apps may have gone, but all of that remains.

Maybe I'll join Parkrun. Maybe I'll try social tennis. Maybe I'll meet someone next month, or maybe it'll be two years from now. What I've realised is that deleting the apps didn't close my world off. It just forced me to notice everything that was already happening in it.

Because being single isn't the same as standing still.

And right now, my life is moving in plenty of directions, even if love hasn't caught up with it yet.