I see myself as a very independent person. I like my space and there are times I simply just like doing things on my own.

Sometimes people see being in a relationship and being independent as not being able to coincide together. In my personal opinion and my own experiences, it doesn't have to be that way. You can be in a relationship and still be independent.

My boyfriend knows that there are some days I simply just want to be alone or be in my own little world. That is is nothing against him or me saying that I don't want to see him or be around him. It is just me knowing when I need my space or to do be able to my own thing.

Being in a relationship doesn't mean that you have to be together 24/7 and do everything together. Having different groups of friends and people that you go out and do things with separately is healthy. Thats not to say that you can't ever go out together but it's good to be able to go out with your own friends separately. My boyfriend and I enjoy going out together but we also know we can enjoy going out separately or if the other one isn't able to go. Some people may see it as wrong to go out without your significant other but as long as there is enough trust in your relationship it shouldn't be a problem. Going out doesn't even have to mean going to the bar without them. It could be just going to dinner with a group of girlfriends and being able to have that space and do things separately is healthy in a relationship.

There are a lot of things I want to do with my life, many of them involving traveling and possibly being away for long periods of time. I know that even though I am in a relationship I can take these opportunities that life presents me with and be independent. Just because I am in a relationship doesn't mean that I shouldn't be able to be independent and do my own thing to further my career or do things I have always dreamed of doing. Sure, it will be hard to be away for long periods of time but sometimes that's life. Don't let the fear of being independent or away from your significant other keep you from living your dreams.

Being independent has always been important to me. It's who I am and it's never going to change. Sure, sometimes I may be too head strong and too independent but I'm learning to work on it and not be so stubborn sometimes. I'm glad that my boyfriend understands this about me and knows how important my independence is to me. It's nice to be able to have my independence but also to always have someone there when I need someone to fall back on and help me keep going.

Being independent in a relationship is perfectly OK. Having a good balance of being independent and being able to do things together is what helps make a relationship healthy.