There are lots of things to love about being unattached. For one thing, you don’t have to get exhausted by the drama and uncertainty of being in limbo between the first date and a potential second one. You’re free, happy, confident. Aren’t you? No matter how happy you are to roll solo, eventually you’ll start to yearn for something more, and once you reach that point, there’s no going back – the single life will no longer look so fun. Here are some of the most frustrating things of being on your own.
- It is possible to watch too much TV. As a self-professed TV addict, I can’t believe I’m saying this. But when you’re single, you tend to spend a lot of nights on the couch. It’s definitely awesome, it just gets old sometimes. You start wishing you had someone to meet for dinner… or at least to watch Netflix with you, too.
- You miss the excitement of texting. Nothing stresses you out more than crafting that perfect text to the new guy you’re seeing. Now that you’re solo, you actually miss and crave having someone to text 24/7. Those early days seem so fun now that you’ve had some distance from them. In the words of Carly Rae Jepsen, you know you really, really, really like a guy when a text that he’s brushing is teeth is super thrilling.
- Christmas sucks. Maybe I’ve watched too many Lifetime and Hallmark movies (I definitely have – no shame), but Christmas is such a romantic holiday. If you’re single in December, it feels so much lonelier than at any other time of the year. You want someone to drink spiked eggnog with and to drag to your crazy fam’s Christmas Eve party.
- Your hopeless romanticism has turned into plain old depression. A dirty text from a Tinder guy may be the new version of romance, but you don’t care. You still believe in pink roses and candlelit dinners. Being single means a part of you is on hold. All you can do is watch cheesy movies and pine away. Who wants to be that depressed?
- You constantly doubt yourself. As much as we want to appear confident, we all have dark days when we think if only we were cooler/prettier/thinner/whatever, we would have a boyfriend by now. There’s nothing wrong with you, and you definitely know that. It’s bound to drive you insane when all you do is think negative things about yourself and the reason you’re still single.
- You wonder if a good first date actually exists. You’ve definitely had more than your fair share of bad dates and it’s inevitable that if you end up at a bar on a weekend, you could be seated near two people on a date. It’s usually not going too well. Add in the dating horror stories with your friends and it only convinces you that you’re meant for a life of boring drink dates.
- Your ability to believe in “The One” is challenged daily. When you were in love, you never had to wonder if there was such a thing as a soul mate because you thought you had found him. The longer you stay single, the more you have to question whether there really is one special person for everyone. If there is someone out there for you, why haven’t you found them? You’ve definitely gone on enough dates by now.
- You know you could get a date if you lowered your standards. It’s true, even if you just got dumped, because you can go on a dating site or app and find a date, and eventually one of those guys will want to be with you. It’s your decision whether you’re into them, too. It sucks to realize that this frustrating situation was actually all your idea. You’re refusing to settle and want to wait until you meet the right person.
- You can go weeks without social plans. No matter how many good friends we have, people get busy. Between work and going away for the weekend, not to mention vacation plans, it can be tricky to schedule time for the people in your life, especially in the summer. But if you’re in a relationship, you’ve kind of got a built-in social life. You always have someone to see a movie with and to try that new Mexican place around the corner.
- Your life feels unfinished. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We should keep growing and changing, otherwise what’s the point of getting older and supposedly wiser? But there’s something so comforting about relationships. You feel more secure than when you’re single – it’s just the honest truth.
