Whether it's your first time joining a dating app or you've been down this road before, you need at least a little bit of optimism on your side (even if it comes with a healthy dose of cynicism) to even hit the download button in the app store. You'll set up your profile, selecting just the right photos and carefully crafting the perfect bio to convey your personality, all the while musing over the kind of person you hope you'll meet — not to mention, who you hope to avoid.

First comes setting up your new dating profile, then comes all the furious swiping. At first, with all your optimism, you'll be so curious you'll pause at almost every profile, passing through each individual photo before making a decision. But after a short while, you'll become a swiping fiend. You'll swipe left and right so often you might not even realize you're doing it until you're served with the wake-up call that is accidentally swiping past someone really cute and losing them to the void forever.

This is especially true if you're a person who's particularly shy about sending the first message. Inevitably, all that swiping will lead to a bunch of new matches, and that means it's time to be brave and start drafting up what you want to say. If you find yourself wondering, "Why am I even bothering with this?" within minutes, don't worry, you're not alone. That little bit of apathy is totally normal — it's almost like it's your mind's natural defense mechanism against all the bad pickup lines you're about to start receiving.

Maybe you're not getting as many matches as you hoped you would, or maybe you're getting too many who aren't what you're looking for. In any case, you'll know you've moved into Phase Four when you can feel the apathy from Phase Three growing stronger. Symptoms of this phase include uncontrollable sighing, spontaneous eye-rolling, laughter that trails off into disappointment, and the occasional slip of an "ugh" out loud.

Even if you felt it slipping away in the last phase, that optimism you felt at the beginning of your online dating journey is sure to renew itself soon. The second you match with and start talking to someone you're attracted to who seems cool and interesting, you'll feel a glimmer of hope — especially if they ask you out (or accept your invitation to go on a date).

Sorry to dash your dreams, but there's no discussing dating apps without mentioning the reality that is ghosting. It's entirely possible that the cutie you're having a great conversation with today might disappear tomorrow, before you can actually make or go through with any plans. It sucks, but sometimes it just happens, so prepare yourself.

It probably won't take long before you find yourself ready to give up on online dating, especially if Phase Six has been particularly rough and you've been ghosted more than your fair share of times. There's something kind of satisfying about deleting all of your dating apps out of frustration when you just can't be bothered with the stress of it all anymore. You'll tell yourself you won't go back (after all, dating in the real world has to be better than this, right?), but deep down, you know you'll be downloading them again.

The thing about trying to meet people and date IRL is that it's honestly not all that much different from using apps. Both require you to put your best self forward, make small talk, and hope that a conversation turns into a date (and that that date turns into many more). Either way, finding a relationship takes time, and you have to go through a lot of awkward conversations and dates to get there. "At least on an app I can do this from my couch," you'll remind yourself.

Is a week enough time to completely write off trying to meet someone IRL? Not quite. Is that going to stop you from hitting up the app store on day seven? Nope. For some reason, not being on at least one dating app when you're actively looking for romance feels like you're not putting yourself out there enough (even though that's not necessarily true), so before you know it, you're swiping again.

The thing that gets you through all the earlier phases? The idea that someday you'll find someone and fall in love. And at the end of the day, love is all about luck and timing. Putting yourself out there — whether that's on an app, IRL, or both — helps a lot for sure, but no matter what, it's a waiting game. Eventually, luck will be on your side, the timing will be right, and next thing you know, you'll be making plans for a first date with someone you're really excited about.

The only thing better than going on an awesome first date? Ending said date with plans for another and realizing you've finally matched with someone you have great chemistry with IRL. (And who is on the same page as you in terms of what you want out of a relationship.) You'll know you've reached this phase when you find yourself doing a happy dance and smiling at your phone every time a text from them pops up.

It might take time, but after all that mindless swiping, you're someday bound to find someone perfect for you. And when you do, you'll be so happy you went along on this journey.

Check out the “Best of Elite Daily” stream in the Bustle App for more stories just like this!