8 Reasons Why Being Single is Awesome

Being single has a bad reputation, but in reality, it can be an absolute blast. You just have to open your eyes to the beauty of being on your own.

Many people dread singleness. Culture will tell you that single equals bad, that if you’re not cozying up with someone every night, there’s something wrong with you, that you’re unlovable, unstable, or weird.

And many people are just as hard on themselves as culture is. Whether you’ve been single for a while, or you’ve just gotten out of a relationship, being the only loner in your friend group can be frightening, with the assumed prospect of a lonely, boring life looming on the horizon.

But all of these assumptions are absolutely wrong. Instead of filling your single-time with moping, weeping, or desperately searching for a relationship, why not enjoy the many advantages of singleness for a while?

While single, you have an opportunity that few ever take advantage of—the chance to be totally, unabashedly you. While you’re on your own, both self-development and self-indulgence are at your fingertips 24 hours a day—you can do anything, go anywhere, and grow into the person you’re mean to be.

Don’t believe it? Check out these 8 reasons why being single is awesome, and you’ll be convinced.

You're Only Responsible to Yourself

shutterstock.com

When you’re in a relationship, you’re responsible to someone else. You’ve got to check in when you travel or stay out late, and you have to talk over major purchases and discuss big life decisions as a couple.

But when you’re single, you’re only responsible to yourself.

This is one of the hidden gems of singleness. No matter how close two people are in a relationship, they’re two different human beings with their own ways of seeing the world. Compromise will always be necessary—you might have to forego traveling the world with your friends, or pass up that exciting new job in a different city because these things simply don’t work out in your relationship.

All of that is fine if you’re ready for it, but why not use your time as a singleton to take your life in the direction you want it to go? While you’re single is the best time to figure things out for yourself, and to take bold risks that might just grant you the life you’ve always wanted.

So, before you try for another relationship, go ahead and live as you will for a while. It’s one of the best things about being single.

Spontaneous Trips

Shutterstock.com

When you’re single, you don’t have to let anyone know where you’re going, who you’re with, or when you expect to get home. You just go.

That’s the best kind of freedom.

One of the best things about being single is the travel—if you get the sudden urge to head a few states over and spend a weekend in a beautiful state park, you can do it. If you want to go to Japan for a week and have the cash to spend, you can.

When you travel solo, you can just pack up your things and go without feeling an ounce of guilt—there’s no left waiting and lonely back at home.

Just as importantly, you won’t have to live by anyone else’s schedule—this is you-time. Hours, days, and weeks cease to exist, and you can just enjoy the moment-to-moment awesomeness that is exploration. You can sit by the water for hours, walk past the same place ten times, and visit all of the weird, quirky spots you’d like.

And best of all, traveling by yourself will challenge you. Forced to make it on your own, you’ll accomplish feats you didn’t think were possible, permanently pushing yourself beyond your boundaries.

Free Time For Whatever

Time is the one resource you can’t replenish. Fortunately for singles, time is plentiful, and you can spend it however you’d like.

Taking time for yourself is vital for a happy and satisfying life. It allows you the chance to delve into the hobbies you’re passionate about, to volunteer for causes you believe in, examine your own thoughts, and most importantly, to binge-watch Game of Thrones.

Just about everyone has an internal list of things they’ve always want to do. Want to learn a new language? Have you always wished you knew how to cook? Do you miss spending time working out and improving your physique? Now is the time.

Do all of this, or do none of it and just relax, but whatever you do, take advantage of all the extra time you have as a single person. It’s one of the best things about the loner life, so don’t waste it!

More Money

Shutterstock.com

Face it: relationships are expensive. You’ve got to pay for dinners, gifts, movies, new outfits, and much, much more. Think your stay-at-home married friends have it better? With the average cost of a wedding being around 26 thousand dollars, they’re not. And don’t even look at how much children cost—you might pass out.

But when you’re single, you don’t have to worry about choosing between a coffee date and putting a few gallons of gas in your tank.

But you’ll not only have more cash to spend—you can also spend it however you’d like. All of that money you would have spent on a relationship can now go into something that betters you. Take a few college classes, or find a music teacher so that you can finally learn to strum that guitar. Invest in you.

Being single has a host of rewards, but having a little more spending money is one of the best. Take advantage of it while you can.

All the Flirting You Can Handle

Pixabay.com

If you’re single, why not take advantage of your unattached status and be an unabashed flirt for a while?

Now is the time to play the field a little, and to take the time to discover what you want in a potential mate. We’re not talking about searching for an end to your singleness. Nor is this about engaging in a series of empty, meaningless hook-ups.

No—this is all about exploration. Find out what you like in a potential romantic interest. Interact with a lot of people, and make note of the traits you like, and just as importantly, what turns you off. Be honest with yourself—the results may surprise you.

This is great for breaking a cycle of bad relationships. Sometimes, we keep returning to a certain type of person because they feel familiar, but when you take the time to explore new people, flirt with them, and enjoy their company over a drink or two, you’ll discover a whole new world of potential love.

More Friends

It’s a well-researched fact that single people have more friends than people who are in relationships.

This isn’t too hard to understand—couples spend a lot of time together, and so they have less time to cultivate other relationships.

But having more friends can be just as satisfying as being in a relationship—and sometimes, it can be even better.

Many of us are tempted to see our romantic partner as our everything. We rely on him or her for love, comfort, protection, and a host of other necessities. But it’s actually healthier to have a large support structure rather than to rely on one person for all of these things.

Being single gives you the time and opportunity to cultivate a great support structure. Taking some time away from the relationship game allows you to establish a firm group of friends who you can rely on to help you if a future relationship goes wrong.

Single doesn’t have to mean alone. Use this time to make new friends and grow closer to your old ones.

Beautiful Laziness

shutterstock.com

Want to know one of the best parts of being single? In a word: laziness.

When you’re single, there’s no one to tell you to hurry up. There’s no reason you can’t sleep until noon on Saturday. Nothing is stopping you from laying out an array of cheese, crackers, and wine and watching Netflix for 3 hours.

This is especially true if you’re just exiting a relationship—you need some time off so that you can recover and work through your feelings.

And whatever you do, don’t feel guilty for your solitary laziness. You’re not hurting anyone by indulging yourself, and the benefits of rest are well-documented—you’ll be more energetic, creative, and intelligent for it.

So don’t just sit at home feeling bad about yourself. Sit at home enjoying a tub of ice cream while wrapped in a blanket, like a burrito, as your favorite movie plays.

Sounds way better, doesn’t it?

You Get to Find Out Who You Are

Shutterstock.com

If you’re single, one of the worst things you can do is to use all of this time to pursue a relationship. Instead, use this time to get to know who you really are. Of all the great benefits of being single, this is the absolute best—and the one that will eventually lead to you being not-so-single anymore.

This is the culmination of all of the great things about being single we’ve talked about. Singlehood is the time to build a better you by pursuing your passions, gathering great friends, learning all you can, and indulging yourself.

This is your time to develop autonomy, and to learn that you can do this thing called life, and that you can do it all by yourself. You don’t need anyone else.

Oddly enough, when you reach this point is when you’re most ready to leave the single world behind. Nothing is more attractive and healthy than someone who can confidently handle their own lives and who knows exactly what they want.

That’s the stuff of great relationships—if you’ve taken the time to enjoy your single status, you’ll be strong enough to choose the right person when the time comes.

Never discount the power of being single. It can be not only the time of your life, but the best period of self-development you’ll ever encounter.