5 Benefits of Being Single

Stephanie Ross

Jul 29

Being single and happy is still a concept many people grapple with. From fairy tales to romantic Hollywood movies, we've been conditioned to believe that "happily ever after" only ever happens after you meet The One.

For anyone the same age or older than a Millennial, growing up they learnt that single meant not married.

What this notion about romantic relationships means, is that you are not complete by yourself, that you need to find "the other half" and that you can't possibly be happy otherwise. Wanna know a secret? It's all lies!

Thankfully, at least in the western world, we (especially women) can now enjoy our financial freedom and make our choices regarding marriage, children and careers.

The self-help shelves are full of titles such as, Instagram is full of inspirational memes and TikTok is full of empowering videos filmed by woke Gen Zers.

The world is becoming more enlightened and we're slowly learning how to enjoy our own company above bad company.

So, without further ado, let's have a look at 5 (of the many) benefits of being single:

5 benefits of being single:

Choose you

Choosing you only means having the deliberate freedom to choose the types of relationships you want to be in. When you're at home with yourself, you have cultivated the patience and self-respect to not settle for anyone that comes along.

You will have had time to recognize your negative dating patterns and work on fixing them.

A popular Ted Talk by screenwriter and author Tracy McMillan titled "The person you really need to marry" is about (spoiler alert!) marrying yourself. Be that person: take yourself on a date and feel good.

Home sweet home

Home sweet home just got a whole new meaning. Coming home to a house decorated by you, with the clutter made by you, enjoying an evening of solitude, routine, and calm after a hard day at work is so rewarding.

Some might be sighing over the fact that they are alone, but some might also remember the moments of being with someone that made them feel tense all the time, where home wasn't a safe sanctuary, a place where they were constantly waiting for their partner to come home.

"As a private investigator, I get so many late-night inquiries from upset people that are at home alone, waiting for their partner to come, and wondering if they are cheating on them," says Richard James of Rivica Investigations. That doesn't sound fun at all.

Planning for the future

Future planning is easier – and more exciting when you are single. Home can be wherever you want it to be – a van, a new country every two months. The beauty of being single is that you don't need to worry about compromising.

Plus, when you're single you can see clearly what you want in life. You won't choose a path out of love, guilt or fear. It doesn't mean that couples don't have happy lives with happy joint choices, but right now, we're talking about YOU!

Financial independence

Oh, the money. Money talk is awkward, and in relationships, there can be judgment around spending habits.

The beauty of being single is that you don't have to justify anything you buy, and be completely independent and in charge of your finances.

Sure, generally, couples are likely to be more financially secure, but owning your stuff and learning to manage your money will bring about a level of confidence and independence that most people in long-term relationships don't have.

Better relationships

Let's face it; single people need to put in a bit more effort to connect with people because they don't have the comfort of just leaning on their partner whenever.

That means single people lead the way more interesting lives because they are more open to meeting new people. Plus, single people go out more often, meaning only that they enjoy life more!