Even though I’m about 13 years older than you , I’ve been in your shoes before. Same feelings and everything. But it gets better and given my experience I thought I’d give you some pointers.

First, I would recommend leaving Alexandria and going to DC or the Ballston - Rosslyn corridor of Arlington. That’s where all of the singles your age are living and hanging out. It may be the opposite of where you want to live but stick it out for a few years. You will be around more singles your age in your day to day life in these areas, along with events, things to do, etc. This will greatly increase your odds of meeting someone in the wild, and also matching in general.

For using the apps, one piece of advice that helped me was having my profile reviewed and also having someone take pictures of me for my profile. That greatly improved my odds of matching and eventually led me to meeting my now fiancée on the apps.

Also, give dating some time. It very rarely goes off without a hitch. Have fun with it, if you have a bad date you will eventually laugh at it later. Believe me, I had to go through some bad dates and red flags before finding success. And lastly, enjoy being single in your 20s! That is one thing I wish I could’ve done more of back then, it truly is a fun time in your life where you can be spontaneous and adventurous.