Relationships

Why You Should Embrace Being Single In Your 20s

by Ashley Fern
Stocksy

Being single in your 20s can be a great experience, don’t let anyone try and tell you otherwise. You have endless opportunities to take advantage of and the best part is you don’t need to verify your actions with anyone.

You want to travel the world? Go for it. Try things that having a counterpart would prevent you from doing.

You aren’t accountable to anyone aside from yourself, so go out and live your life the way you want to. Don’t feel left out when your friends are in relationships, chances are they are more jealous of you than you are of them.

Always be down to go out

Why not make the most of your free time by going out and trying new things? You have no restrictions when you are single and essentially no obligations. You aren’t bothering anyone with your frequent nights out (well, perhaps just your liver, but that’s another story). Go out whenever the chance presents itself, because, hey, why not?

Don’t complain

Sometimes it's hard to be single while you watch all the fun things your couple friends are doing, but don’t whine about it. It’s really awkward to bitch about being single, how do you even comfort someone about that? “Oh, don’t worry, one day you will meet the right person, blah blah.” Sounds like a pretty uncomfortable conversation to me. No one wants to hang out with the person who constantly complains about being alone. Enjoy it now because you won’t be on your own forever, so take advantage of this time to be selfish.

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go." - Dr. Seuss

Immerse yourself in your career

Spend your time on more important things in life like your career. Devote extra hours to your job and live up to your true potential. Work hard and see what amazing results you can garner. Your job will always be there for you; what you put in, you will receive.

Self beautification

Focus on making yourself the best version of you that you can possibly be. Hit the gym and develop a good exercise schedule. If you look good, you will feel better internally. Staying active is an important part of life and we all know that when you get into a relationship, you start to let yourself go.

"I don't need a man to rectify my existence. The most profound relationship we'll ever have is the one with ourselves." - Shirley MacLaine

Travel

Many times you cannot just drop everything then and there to go out and travel. If you are in a committed relationship and want to travel, you have to base your plans around the schedules of two people. It’s far easier to explore the world on your own. Immerse yourself in a foreign culture; you will learn invaluable things about yourself, as well as a different way of life.

Do whatever the f*ck you want

Essentially you can just do whatever you want, any given moment of any given day. The freedom you have when you are single is incredible. Your schedule is your own; there are no restraints to what you can and cannot do. If you are okay with the consequences of your actions, then more power to you.

“When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere."

Be open to set ups

The best part about being single is you can go out and expose yourself to the different kinds of people in the world. Take this time to figure out what traits you do and don’t want in a significant other. It’s all trial and error at this point, so make your mistakes now. Let your friends set you up, what do you even have to lose? You never know whom you’re going to meet or what you’re going to learn.

"If you're alone right now, don't worry about it. Being alone doesn't mean you're unwanted. It just means you haven't met the person whose awesomeness matches your awesomeness yet."

Realize how important your friends are

Don’t ignore or ditch your friends for possible dating chances. Your friends are the people who will always be by your side. In twenty years, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the things you did do. Experience things with your friends and make irreplaceable memories.

Expand your social circle

Now is the best time to expand your horizons and to meet all different kinds of people. Surround yourself with new people all the time. Learn things from these people and take the lessons they teach you on your journey through life. It’s no fun to be the only single person in your group of friends, so if this is the case, it may be time to widen your network.

Personal growth

Being single is an opportunity to make yourself a better person. Reflect on yourself and realize what traits you are proud of and what traits you are ashamed of. Use this as a time to look back on your past and your decisions and to evaluate them in order to prevent yourself from making similar mistakes in the future.