Reasons Its Ok To Just Be Single

Women's Dating

7 Reasons It’s OK to Just Be Single and Happy

Ava Roman

Written by: Ava Roman

Ava Roman

Ava Roman (she/her) is the Managing Editor of Revivalist, a women’s lifestyle magazine that empowers women to live their most authentic life. When Ava is not writing you'll find her in a yoga class, advocating for her children, or doing her part to save the planet.

Edited by: Amber Brooks

Amber Brooks

Amber Brooks is the Editor-in-Chief at DatingAdvice.com. When she was growing up, her family teased her for being "boy crazy," but she preferred to think of herself as a budding dating and relationship expert. As an English major at the University of Florida, Amber honed her communication skills to write clearly, knowledgeably, and passionately about a variety of subjects. Now with over 1,800 lifestyle articles to her name, Amber brings her tireless wit and relatable experiences to DatingAdvice.com.

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Society pressures men and women to get into relationships – even if they’re perfectly content without a partner. 

Some people make themselves miserable trying to find a partner just because they feel like they must, not because they want one. Traditional views tell us that we can’t be happy if we’re not in a relationship. As we get older, people even speculate if there’s something wrong with single people that keeps potential partners away. 

You don’t need to be in a relationship to live a fulfilled life. Being single gives you more opportunities than being with somebody, keeping you happier and healthier. Here are several reasons why being single and happy is OK. 

1. The Freedom

Life is a journey of discovering yourself through different choices and experiences. When you don’t have a partner to worry about, you can do what you want when you want without it affecting another person. 

You have the space to breathe and figure out your wants and needs independent of someone else’s. A relationship can keep you from opportunities to try the things you’ve always wanted to. Travel to new places, take on more volunteer work or try a new routine. 

If you decide you want to enter a relationship one day, you’ll be more satisfied and ready to dedicate some time and energy to your partner. 

2. Better Personal Relationships 

An intimate relationship isn’t the only kind you can have. In fact, single people often more successfully maintain other personal connections and friendships. 

If you’re single, you have more time for your parents, siblings and other family members, which can wane in adulthood. 

Single people also have better social lives, spending more time with friends and making new ones. 

3. Career Success

When you’re not in a relationship, you have more time and energy to spend on your career. 

You have more freedom to travel and can take on different opportunities without worrying about a partner’s schedule or personal life. You can network and dedicate more time to projects that are important to you. 

Thanks to these extra opportunities, you’ll have a better chance of advancing your career the way you want. More work experiences mean more abilities to expand your resume and try new positions in new locations. This allows you to ensure you’re in a job you love and can climb the career ladder. 

4. Better Health

When you’re single, you have more time to work out, do mindfulness activities, and garden.

Single people are more fit, and they have opportunities that allow them to be healthier in body and mind. When you have a partner, you might have to sacrifice gym hobbies or exercise routines to accommodate their schedule or family life. 

 You can commit to yourself and the things that make you fulfilled when you have a healthy lifestyle and a healthy body image

5. Self-Sufficiency

When you’re single, you are fully responsible for your income, housing, food and everything involved in being an adult. 

A relationship means sharing those responsibilities, which can be excellent. It also makes it more challenging when you inevitably need to handle one or all of them. Being dependent on your partner for income, cooking or cleaning can be debilitating. 

Self-sufficiency is an invaluable skill that keeps you from being too dependent on others, empowering you to do what’s best for you. 

6. Less Stress

It takes work to get into and maintain an intimate relationship. It can be fulfilling if you want to put forth that effort, but if you don’t, you’re less likely to stress over trying to find or keep a partner.

Having a partner means considering someone else’s needs in all significant decisions. You also want to respect their wishes as well as your own. This can lead to excessive stress that doesn’t exist when you only have to worry about yourself. 

Without that stress, you’ll see the health benefits of laughing and relaxing that you might not have otherwise. 

Dating is hard, especially if you do not desire a relationship. Letting yourself be happy as a single person frees you from that stress, making you a happier, healthier person. 

7. More Self-Care

You have more time for self-care when you aren’t spending time with someone else. Between work and other social activities, having a partner can make it hard to destress and feel your best. 

Reading a book, going for a spa day or just taking a walk can help you clear your head and recharge from the everyday stress you encounter. 

Self-care is necessary to keep you at your best, so you can focus on giving your best to others. You have more flexibility to prioritize this when you’re single. 

Living Single and Happy 

Being single is no shame, especially if you don’t desire a relationship. Outdated views keep pressure on unattached men and women, but more people realize the benefits of being self-reliant. 

Life is what you make it, and you shouldn’t force yourself into a relationship just to have one. You also shouldn’t feel pressured to stay in one because you don’t want to be alone.

Staying single and allowing yourself to be happy offer many opportunities and benefits you won’t have in a relationship.