Lately, it seems like everyone is in this mindset of refusing to be alone. That’s fine and good, but when we refuse to be alone, we tend to make more trouble for ourselves by not being alone. We accept relationships or flings that don’t carry any weight or aren't even healthy just so we’re not all by ourselves at the end of the night. Relationships aren’t something anyone should ever settle for. You settle on a pair of shoes to match your dress for the night, not a person who’s supposed to be holding you close and supporting your choices. Nobody needs to be sharing your covers, especially not someone you’re only with so you’re not solo. Keep that twin XL bed all to yourself this upcoming semester, because no one should be occupying it if the only reason they’re in it is to have sex with you. We like to blind ourselves to the flaws of the person we choose because if we nitpick, we’ll be alone again. There’s a difference, though, between blindly ignoring irritating habits of the other person and blindly ignoring the personality traits that make that person a person.

You can say it’s wrong to scrutinize and generalize relationships, but there’s something very wrong with girls and boys lowering their expectations just so they have a hand to hold. Some people can be completely unrealistic when it comes to what they expect from their significant other (like expecting gifts and nice dinners and such), but other people legitimately lower their expectations so drastically that they’re open to take up a relationship with anyone who has a pulse. No, there shouldn’t be a person in the world who refuses to bend a little because when you open your eyes to other possibilities is when you grow as a person. But there also shouldn’t be a person in the world who gives up finding someone to match their expectations because they just can’t stand not sharing a bed with someone. Sometimes the dating pool may seem shallow, but that doesn’t mean you should dive right in or pull back completely. We pressure ourselves with this idea that we need to have a perfect relationship and be perfect for that other person and then we let ourselves down by getting with people who … just aren’t our ideal people.

Regardless of your stance on relationships, every person deserves to find a person who cares about them. Really start to think about the relationships you're currently involved in. Are you happy? Wait, let me rephrase that. Could you be happier without the other person?

You don’t deserve to have someone who won’t tell their friends about you.

You don’t deserve to have someone who is ashamed to show you off like the gem you are.

You don’t deserve to have someone who won’t call you when they know you’re upset.

You don’t deserve to have someone who ignores you when you’re worried about your relationship.

You don’t deserve to have someone who makes you feel like talking to you or spending time with you is a chore.

You don’t deserve to be with someone who calls you crazy or says you’re overreacting because you’re nervous about them being faithful to you.

You don’t deserve to have someone who just starts arguments to see you get upset.

You don’t deserve to have someone who takes your sarcasm or jokes as a personal offense to them.

You don’t deserve to have someone who makes you stay up all night, constantly rethinking what you guys are.

You don’t deserve to have someone who makes you cry at night and doesn't come by to help you feel better, or someone who knows you're crying and ignores you.

You don’t deserve to have someone who picks your friend over you.

You don’t deserve to have someone who calls you names and treats you like any less of a person than they are.

If any of these made you think of you and someone's relationship, well, I hope you really think about it.

And anyone you find who behaves like that towards you is someone you need to get rid of.