As we scroll through our Facebook feeds we encounter an abundance of listicles with titles like “20 Reasons To Be Single In Your 20s” and "10 Reasons To Commit To One Person." We’ve all heard the countless arguments for why we should be alone as a young adult and we’ve all witnessed the condescending comments fired at the person who’s been too single for too long. Naturally, this constant flow of opposing opinions leaves many of us millenials questioning ourselves and our love lives. Are we on the right track? Should I be committed to someone? Is it better to be independent? We feel like the only thing constant about the rules to this game called love is that they are forever changing. This is why I’ve decided to take the time to answer this ever present question once and for all: should you be in a relationship in your 20s?
After a lot of thought, my answer to this question is that there is no answer. Sorry if this disappoints you, but there is no blanket response that covers every 20-something year old. There’s no milestone achievements for your love life to regulate if you are on your way to an A+ happily ever after. Being single doesn't automatically liberate you and jumping into a relationship won't magically solve all of your problems. However, since I couldn’t give you a real answer, I’ve decided to give you a better question.
Stop asking yourself, “Should I be in a relationship?” and start asking yourself, “Do I have healthy relationships in my life?” This generation tends to put too much emphasis on the labels of our relationships and not enough emphasis on the quality of them. This applies to all relationships in your life including your friends, family and yes, of course significant others.
Do the people in your life support you? Do they challenge you to grow as a person? Are they relationships that make you feel genuily happy and loved? If the answer is no, you may want to revamp your crew. If your answer is yes, then take a deep breath and relax. You are doing just fine. At the end of the day the only thing that truly matters is that you are loved the way you deserved to be loved and that you love these people right back.
