There are certain things in life that we all hate, yet must endure. For example, we all hate the annual family get together where your crazy aunt’s goal is to start some form of unnecessary drama, your grandpa has had a little bit too much to drink and is now talking about “the good ol’ days” which, honestly, don’t sound all that good, and all you can do is sit there and craft your escape plan. Then, as the night drowns on, the question you’ve been dreading is finally asked. Are you seeing anyone? As the question leaves your mother’s lips, you can feel yourself start to break out into a nervous sweat. When you tell her no, you can see the disappointment in her eyes. As you leave that night, the aftershocks of the question still haunt you as you’re driving home. Then the question hits you. Why should I have to be in a relationship? This question has been asked for decades. According to society, if you are not in a relationship, you’re one of the following: bitter, lonely, uptight, or a workaholic. If you are none of those things, then you are considered an outcast of the romance induced society we all know. With all that being said, though, are there any benefits of being single? Yes! Being single is a wonderful thing because it allows you to depend on yourself and to get to know yourself better. You get the opportunity to figure out what you want out of life and what you do not want out of life. So once you are in a relationship with yourself. You get to find out what makes you truly happy and what your long-term goals are. Imagine not having to worry about the pain of heartbreak or if your partner will like the outfit your wearing. Being single is almost like a right of passage into the world where you accept yourself for who you are and not for what other people think you should or shouldn’t be. You get one life. One. Do you want to spend it being scared all the time of not being in a relationship, or do you want to be independent and learn to navigate life using your own opinions and experiences to shape your future? Being true to what you believe in and finding out what exactly you believe are essential in making it in this world. You have to find the courage within yourself to go to the next level of what you want to do with your life and being with a partner can sometimes hinder that courage. Not to say that you can’t be courageous with a partner, but when you’re with another person, you tend to put your own needs on hold and focus on being there for them. At the end of the day, you are stuck in your own skin and you have to decide whether you like the skin you are in, or if you rely on someone else to make you feel good about yourself. Confidence comes from within, and being confident in oneself requires you to love yourself. So make mistakes, learn from those mistakes, be dumb, fall in love, fall out of love, but most importantly, be yourself. So the next time your mom asks if you are in a relationship at the family dinner from hell, say yes. Yes, I am in a relationship with myself, and it is the best time of my life.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Indy chapter.