Valentine’s Day is looming just around the corner, and with it the dread of being forever alone. It seems that after every cuffing season, more and more couples are staying together longer as you only get older. With dating sites like Tinder normalizing hook-up culture and depleting the chances of finding a genuinely good man, single may just become a way of life for a while. And you know what? That’s okay.
Staying single in your twenties should not be a taboo. Not having a boyfriend does not mean that you are pitiful, bull-headed, man hater, or incapable of keeping a man’s interest. Going through this stage in your life solo is one of the best things you could do for yourself. Still think you’re going to die alone? Here are some of my favorite reasons why I am in love with myself and my gloriously single status.
I want my own career
Let’s face it, a relationship requires equal effort from both parties involved. Sometimes, that means giving up on your career aspirations to help your significant other advance theirs. That is perfectly okay, except I am not willing to do that. Why rush to settle down when you’ve barely established yourself?
I want to travel
Really this should by my number one, but once you have a family and an established 9-5 routine, finding the time to get out and go places can be hard. And when we travel with other people, are we really focused on the scenes passing us by? Or is all of our attention focused on the one who holds our heart?
You need to learn to love yourself
Having the love of another person is euphoric. Those little chemical endorphins flood your brain and turn you into some sort of love sick poodle. Your friends are disgusted, your mom is planning a wedding, and you forget that your world consists of more than this person. At the end of the day though, you need to be the person who loves you the most.
No tabs
Want to go out to the club and not come back until noon the next day? No problem. Nobody is keeping tabs. The worst you have to deal with in the morning is the lingering head ache caused by loud music and too many drinks the night before.
More money for #1
What happens around the holidays when you’re single a.f.? You buy more stuff for yourself, duh! No boyfriend to complain about how many shades of the same lipstick you have, or how outrageously expensive the new Naked palette is.
You can eat whatever and whenever you want
While eating an ice-cream sandwich, a guy I used to date (key term here being ‘used to’), asked me if I would rather eat a salad because I was getting a little, ‘Husky’. I’m sorry, what!?!? The last thing a strong, capable women needs is a man berating her for having a self-indulgent cheat with her favorite snack.
Your bed is yours
Okay, so for me that is not entirely true. My bed belongs to my 150-pound lap dog Tison and my significantly smaller, 40-pound tyrant Claude. They occasionally share.
Naps
I enjoy those naps where you are in such a deep slumber that there is a puddle of drool forming in the middle of your pillow. #NoShame.
Freedom to be spontaneous
Girls Night? Weekend on the road? Giant tub of Rocky Road? How about all of the above? You are in control.
Chick Flicks
No man? No problem. I’ll just gush over Hugh Jackman and Gerard Butler, and who is that last one? Oh right, Ryan Gosling (like I actually forgot about him).
No fighting
Sure, making up is great, but I’d rather not get into a fight in the first place. Nobody needs that pull on their heart strings.
I know where I stand
Being single isn’t so bad when you know what you want. I personally won’t settle for a man who gives me only part of himself. You shouldn’t settle for men who think it’s okay to ghost, or the new trendy term ‘breadcrumb’ you.
Controlling the thermostat
I’ve never met a man who isn’t already a human furnace. For some reason, they think just because they can generate their own heat source, that it needs to be a winter wonderland in the living room.
No need to shave your legs…or anything else
This statement supports itself.
Road Karaoke
Want to sing along to some T-Swift at the top of your lungs? No problem. When you road trip with some great jams, are you ever really alone?
More time to develop relationships amongst your friends
Though we never really mean for it to happen, once a new S.O. comes along, we tend to see our friends less and less. My friends are the most important people in my life, so I utilize my time being solo to let them know they are my rocks.
You get to flirt with the hot waiter
So it finally happened. You went out to a restaurant and the HOTTEST guy (or gal) is your server. Because you have no obligation to anyone, you can throw out those lines that may or may not be cheesier than your side of macaroni.
You get to sample different flavors
And I’m not talking about fro-yo here. When you are not tied down to one person, you have the luxury of trying out the dating scene with multiple. This is your time to experiment with all the types you could never see yourself being serious with. Who knows maybe it will change your outlook later on down the road.
No need to suffer through awkward family introductions
Best thing about being single? You don’t have to meet his awkward family. From the mom who doesn’t think any woman will ever be good enough for her baby boy, to the sibling you totally wished you had met before you got tied down to the current fling.
Uninterrupted bedtime reading
Yes, I really want to read this book. No, that is not an invitation to come and join me.
More…personal time
Self-service is the best service right?
No need to clean your room all the time
Clean your room? Ain’t nobody got time for that! I’m sure I’ll get around to putting all the dirty clothes in the hamper eventually (probably when my underwear pile is dangerously low).
So in case you were feeling like less of a woman for not being shacked up already, you now have at least 22 reasons to cut that negative way of thinking out of your diet immediately. Being single is awesome. The most important thing is that when you look back on your life 30 years from now, you don’t find yourself regretting all of the things you didn’t do because you rushed into full-fledged adulthood.
Wear your single status like a shining, rose gold armor and remember you saw it first on Her Campus. Be sure to check back next week for the best wines under ten bucks (for that solo V-day dinner).