There is one thing that most young people in today’s society can agree on: being single can have its downsides. We look at our peers in happy, committed relationships and we see the glorification of having a “bae” up, down, left and right on social media. We even watch movies that involve a happy-ever-after love plot and think to ourselves, “why can’t that be me?”. It’s fine to feel like that. But it is also okay being single. We are so often in love with the idea of being in a relationship – having someone to cuddle with at night, to match outfits and shoes with, or even to spend money on to show our affection. But do we ever think of loving ourselves first?
As weird as this may sound, it is possible to love being single. The only way this will be possible is to be optimistic about not having a significant other. Here are some ways to look at the brighter side of being single:
1.) You don’t have to give yourself a migraine trying to remember someone’s birthday or an anniversary.
The only birthday you’d have to worry about when you’re single is… well, your own. I’m sure no one forgets their own birthday, and if that were the case, that would be pretty peculiar.
2) You don’t have to share a bed with someone – all that bed space to yourself!
If you’re a person like me who absolutely adores sleep (sometimes more than other things) and doesn’t like having someone taking up all the space in your bed, or doesn’t like hearing someone snoring like a bear, or doesn’t like people who constantly move around in your sleep, then you’ll be fine with having a whole bed to yourself.
3) You can keep all those paychecks to yourself and for your needs
Sure, you could say that if you had a boyfriend, you would buy him a PS4 or an Xbox (whatever gaming console he likes), or you could say that if you had a girlfriend, you would drown her in Victoria’s Secret Pink apparel and all the makeup she’ll use in her lifetime. OR you could say, while you’re single, you could save that money for whatever fiscal responsibilities you have. You could save those paychecks for a rainy day, because financial emergencies could come up and you might need it. Or you could spoil yourself – nothing wrong with that.
Despite me listing a couple superficial reasons for looking at the brighter side of being single, there are other reasons that are considered to be significant:
4) No matter how lonely or alone one may feel, it is always better than going home to someone who doesn’t complete them or treat them the way they should be treated.
Sure, we may see a lot of couples on social media, or even in our close surroundings, that appear to look happy, almost as if their relationship was like a fairytale. That’s only what we see – we don’t know what could be happening behind closed doors. Their relationship could have rifts: it could be abusive or it could be emotionally unfulfilling. From personal experience, there is absolutely nothing worse than being in a relationship with someone and not being emotionally invested into it because the other person creates the complications. So yes, being alone may suck here and there, but I would much rather be alone and give myself the love I deserve than be in a relationship, looking for affection, but in turn being neglected by my “significant other”.
5) No more broken heart… When single, all you can do is repair it.
This reason relates to the previous one, in a way, but it’s a pretty solid reason as to why one should love being single. You can’t break your own heart, but other people can do that. You will never create bad/false intentions for yourself, but other people will do that. Basically, the only person who can’t hurt you intentionally is you. At least in my opinion. The only way one would really try to hurt themselves is if they believe that they are not worth something. And where do these feelings of self-loathe and inadequacy come from? Other people. No one is born with emotional damage, trust issues or commitment problems – other people have caused those problems to surface. It’s better to stay single and confront those problems so that they can be fixed, as opposed to jumping from relationship to relationship: that’s just making your heart more susceptible to heartbreak. It’s okay to wait and fix the damage that has been done.
6) Self love is the best kind of love!
A lot of people rant and rave about how desperately they want to be in a relationship and have a commitment with another individual, but let’s be realistic here: you can’t love someone else if you don’t love yourself. If you don’t have any main qualities about yourself that you love, how do you expect anyone else to be your soulmate, the yin to your yang? You shouldn’t expect someone to be your “other half”, if your half isn’t a complete half. If you don’t have a significant other in your life to love you, no worries – you can always love yourself! Make yourself happy by doing the things you love, compliment yourself every day, remind yourself of the accomplishments you have reached in life so far, highlight your most desirable attributes – the important thing is to know your own worth before someone else gets the chance to.
All of these reasons are saying the same thing… There’s nothing wrong with being single. It doesn’t mean you’re unattractive. It doesn’t mean you’re stupid. It doesn’t mean you’re incapable of finding love. There’s no need to feel envy, or even self doubt, because you see peers with relationships. It was their turn, but it will be your turn soon. In the meantime, until that time comes, enjoy your own company, love yourself, and mold yourself into a masterpiece!