It is time to start focusing on the benefits of being single; we live in a society where being in a relationship is viewed as desirable and being single, not so much. Societal norms tell us that having a significant other should be a goal to be attained and there is a lot of stigma placed on people who do not have partners. This can place so much pressure on us to find ‘the perfect partner’ and contributes to individuals feeling like that are not worthy or enough if they do have a significant other.
There are many benefits to being single. Single people are breaking the status quo and showing that you can live a happy, wholesome life without being ‘booed up’. The Office for National Statistics shows that women who are not living as a couple and have never been married are rising in every age range under 70. – The Guardian
Being single does not define you as a person and neither should you let it! You are your morals, values, ethics, personality, likes and dislikes and an all-around beautiful being that has a purpose and that was made with intention. You are who you choose to be, you matter and you are enough!
‘Singledom’ doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. You should enjoy your single status while it lasts – if you want it to last, because there are some truly amazing benefits to being single and you should at least try to focus on the positives rather than negative, right?
1. A benefit of being single means you have more spare time
It can be difficult to juggle our time, especially when we are trying to balance work, family, friends, hobbies and other commitments.
I am sure anyone in a relationship will agree that making time for a partner has to be a priority as the relationship probably wouldn’t survive.
When you are single not having a partner to make time for means that you have spare time to spend how you wish!
2. Being single means you have the freedom to date multiple people and have fun
Yeah okay, no one is saying you can’t have fun when you are in a relationship (If that’s what you are thinking) but there is something about being single, having the choice to date multiple people and having fun along the way that brings that extra spice to our life.
Dating doesn’t have to be hard or miserable, in fact, it is meant to be incredibly fun and a great way to meet many interesting people, even if it doesn’t progress into something meaningful.
Bustle provides some excellent tips on how to make dating less stressful and a lot more fun!
3. A benefit of being single means you you do not have to compromise
I am sure that anyone in a relationship would agree that the key to a happy and healthy relationship is for both parties to compromise.
Comprising isn’t always easy and comes with its challenges and in some cases, it can lead to feeling resentful towards your partner.
The benefits of being single means that we do not have to think about how our lifestyle and actions affect other people and we can have it our own way 100% of the time!
4. Being single means you have time to focus on yourself and heal
Okay, so you are currently on a site that promotes self-development and living authentically. I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t mention that one of the benefits of being single is that you have time to heal and focus on yourself.
The time you are single can be extremely powerful if you wish to make it so, because you can use this time to get to know yourself on a deeper level without the influence of anyone else. Maybe you have some toxic traits you wish to work on, or your last relationship was unhealthy and you need to recover from this or maybe you just want to use this time to focus on yourself; learning and growing as an individual as you go along.
Healing time can help you overcome ill feelings, such as anger, hurt, pain, betrayal and bitterness and this can prepare you for forming new relationships in the future. Think of it this way, would you want to go into a new relationship still ruminating over what your partner did or didn’t do? or still, obsessing over your ex or still traumatized from the previous relationship?
When it comes to healing, one size doesn’t fit all. There is no manual that explains how and for how long you will need to heal for, that will depend on the person and the situation. The important thing is that you go at your own pace, be kind to yourself and be honest with yourself about how you truly feel. If you are still angry about your previous relationship, then it is likely that there is still work to be done and a little more time needed.
Eric R Maisel in Psychology Today provides some excellent tips on how to emotionally heal.
When we take time to heal and focus on ourselves then we are more likely to attract healthy and meaningful relationships in the future because like attracts like!!
5. Being single means you can spend your money how you please
Another benefit of being single means that your money is your business and you don’t have to financially justify yourself to anyone! Money can be a touchy subject for anyone and even more so when you are in a relationship. In fact, money troubles are the leading cause of breakups according
When you are single, you do you don’t have to face issues such as finical infidelity, differing views on money management, dealing with linguistics of salary differences and heated arguments over cash.
Data also highlights inequalities between men and women showing that over a third of women are entirely or somewhat finically dependent on their partner and 3 in 5 women state that they would struggle to manage financially if they broke up with their partner.
Whether you are a saver, spender or a bit of both, you don’t have anyone to answer to so do your thing – responsibly of course! We don’t want you blowing your rent on a designer handbag! 😉
6. Being single means you are self sufficient
A benefit of being is that single people do not have a partner to share responsibilities with making them more self-sufficient as they only have themselves to rely on.
A study by Bella DePaulo (Economic Times ) showed that self-sufficiency works very well for single people and the more self-sufficient you were the less likely you were to experience negative emotions and this was the opposite for married couples.
7. Being single means you have a better relationship with family and friends
A benefit of being single means people are more likely to foster better relationships with their friends and family; this is because they do more to focus on maintaining these relationships.
According to Psychology Today a study with 2700 adults in the US, couples who were living together or got married had less contact with their parents and spent less time with their friends than they did when they were single and this was also the case for relationships with siblings. A study in the UK also concluded that single people named 6 people who they would go to if they were in a crisis and those in a relationship named just 4 (excluded their romantic partner).
These findings show misconceptions that single people are lonely when various evidence shows that they actually have a much bigger social network than those that are in relationships or married.
8. Being single provides you with an opportunity to think about what you want in a relationship
The benefits of being single means you have an opportunity to really think about what type of relationship you want to be in and the type of partner you want. It’s important to know exactly what it is we want in order for it to come to us and for there to be more chance of meeting someone who we are compatible with. When we have clarity on this we can also prevent wasting our time on people who do not meet our criteria or who may not be able to meet our needs.
As you spend time alone it will give you the opportunity to find out who you are and what you truly want, without knowing this you will find it hard to determine what you want in a relationship and what type of relationship you want.
In order to think about what we want in a relationship, it would also be helpful to think our values and morals and how they will play out in a relationship. up journey (Monica White) explains how it’s important to decide what your 3 core values are and focus on finding partners that can fulfil those 3 values. For example, if your values are friends and family, adventure and stability, then it would be wise to find someone who is family orientated, is spontaneous and likes exploring ad has a stable career and home life.
9. A benefit of being single means you get a better nights sleep
We all have sleep needs, maybe we like the room at a certain temperature or prefer to listen to something relaxing while we are dropping off. A benefit of being single means you do not have to worry about your significant others’ sleep needs and can simply have it your way every night.
One of the most common sleep issues to affect couples is ‘snoring’. Research shows that an estimated 45% of adults snore occasionally and 25% snore regularly and some couples even have to resort to sharing separate bedrooms, which impacts on intimate moments.
Getting a good night’s sleep often is vital for our health and wellbeing. When we lack sleep we can be left feeling exhausted, irritable and short-tempered, not exactly ideal for romance, this can also cause arguments in relationship.
10. Being single means you can be spontaneous
Single people have the freedom to be more spontaneous. Whether you want a last minute holiday or decide to make a major life change on a whim, you do not have a partner to think about how your decision will affect your partner.
Conclusion
To conclude, I think it is safe to say that we need to start looking at single people from a different angle. Just like being in a relationship there are countless benefits to being single. Being single can be a truly powerful position to be in depending on if you wish to make it so. It provides you with an opportunity to learn, grow, heal, build strength and resilience and fulfil better connections.
If you are reading this because you are single and having a difficult time with this, try to remember that love comes in all forms and you don’t have to be in a relationship to be loved. Our value and worthiness are not determined by our relationship status. You should use it as an opportunity to learn and grow and continue to do everything you want in this life.
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