Summer is approaching! You're soon going to see couples posting photos from their baecation or walking through Central Park holding hands and sharing ice cream cones. I know, so cute right! Don't you just wish that was you? Well, think again! Don't dwell on the fact that you're currently not in a relationship. It's okay, you're okay, it's not the worst thing in the world. Being in relationships can be so cute and so fun but there are also some reasons why it's okay to give yourself a little more time to be single.
1. Self-Discovery
Finding yourself and who you truly are is an essential part of life. Being truly in touch with yourself- your values, emotions, interests, dreams, or confidence- will help you form healthier relationships. If you can find your sense of self before a relationship you'll know exactly what you're seeking in a partner or just what you want in life as a whole. Not to say you can't discover yourself while you're in a relationship. There are some people who believe you don't truly know yourself until you're married. However, it's easy to mix what you believe is yourself with your partner's self. When you're single you have more time to focus on JUST yourself and learn things about yourself that go beyond your surface.
2. Being Alone Without Being Lonely
A year ago I made a post on Facebook saying, "Loneliness does not exist with me. My alone time is so essential to my well-being and if I DON'T have a sufficient amount of time to myself I become miserable."
When you're single you have a lot of time to yourself. You'll learn how to enjoy being in the company of yourself and that's an important thing. There are people in this world who don't know how to be alone or even fear just the thought of it. The people in my life who I know are like this have small gaps between their relationships. They break up with one person, are in a relationship with someone else within a month, or if they're not in a relationship, they're just constantly seeking the company of others. Sure we all need human connections, but to constantly seek it isn't healthy. Imagine those people weren't here, what would you do? You have to learn to enjoy your solitude.
3. Self-Love
J. Cole said it best, "Love yourself, girl, or nobody will."
In relationships, you and your partner start dating, grow to love each other, get married, and all that other stuff. But how can you expect someone to love you when you don't love yourself? More importantly, how can you really say you love someone when you don't even know how to love yourself!? If the love that you have for yourself depends on the love and company of your partner, you probably need to be single. Because again, what if that person wasn't here? In addition to that, lack of confidence and insecurities are also major stressors in a relationship so you'll probably end up being single anyway. While you're single (AND BEFORE YOU GET INTO ANY RELATIONSHIP) take that time to develop self-love and respect. Remember, the most important relationship you will EVER have is the one with yourself.
4. Growth
Being single gives you time to better yourself. You can fully focus on school or your career. You can take this single time to reevaluate yourself. Reflect on your past. Investing yourself in these ways will help you grow. Of course, you can grow with someone else in much different ways, but being single gives you that opportunity to just fully invest in your goals and self.
5. Freedom
Saving the best for last, FREEDOM. Of course, we're all free, but when you're in a relationship there are certain restrictions and rules put into place out of respect for your partner. When you're single there are no rules or restrictions. You don't have to think about someone else or how they'd feel if you did this or that. You can do whatever, whenever you want, however you want and you don't have to make time for the partner that doesn't exist! Before you get into a relationship, try and do things you know you wouldn't be able to do if you had a partner. Enjoy the freedom while you can.
Being single can be just as blissful as being in a relationship. As a single person, you can do so many cute and fun things, just on your own (or with a friend).
