Do you feel like you need to be in a relationship in order to feel happy? You’re not alone. Society frames love as a goal we should all strive for, so it’s easy to feel like you can’t be happy or accomplished if you haven’t found it. Women in particular are made to feel like they need a special someone in their lives to stop them from being miserable. But the truth is you don’t need a guy, or anyone at all, to be happy. Read on to find out why that is!
- A relationship won’t fulfill the void. If there’s a void inside you, or something missing, you might think that a guy, or girl, will fix that. Disney movies make it seem like finding love is the answer to all of life’s problems, so no wonder we tend to buy into the narrative! But contrary to popular belief, a relationship won’t fulfill emptiness. It might make your life better in some ways, but it’s not a fix-all to every hurdle you’re facing in life. So you don’t need a guy or a relationship to be happy. Finding love will make no difference to many of the problems you have to face anyway!
- You’ll still have time to follow your dreams. Do you have a bucket list? Countries you’d like to visit and sights you’d like to see? Skills you’d like to learn? Honoring that list and living life to the fullest will often leave you feeling satisfied and fulfilled. You don’t need a relationship to enjoy those experiences. In fact, if you don’t have a guy, it’s likely that you’ve got even more time to follow your dreams.
- Being single gives you more freedom. Unfortunately, many people view being single as a sad thing. Single people are often perceived as being lonely or miserable. But the truth is being single actually boosts your freedom. It’s super liberating not having to answer to someone else, or consider someone else as you go about your life. This kind of freedom can be incredibly powerful and leave you on a high, even with no partner in sight.
- You still have your friends and family. Romantic relationships aren’t the only relationships that matter. Far from it! The bond you share with family and friends is also important. Family and friends can be a great source of happiness, and it doesn’t matter whether you’ve got a guy or not. Other non-romantic relationships can also enhance your life and fill you with light. Having a guy is not part of the criteria you have to meet in order to experience that.
- You can spend time working on yourself. The beauty of not having a relationship is that you can spend more energy on yourself. You’ll likely have more of a chance to work on yourself since you don’t have a partner to think about. This means you can put more time into things like therapy, personal development exercises, and other activities that will lead to your personal growth. And that kind of growth often leaves us feeling happy and accomplished!
- And being selfish. Not having a partner gives you the chance to be selfish. And that’s a good thing! While only ever thinking about yourself isn’t a great recipe for happiness and fulfillment, neither is neglecting self-care. You don’t need a guy to be happy because, without one, you can still look after yourself and build your own self-love. And to be honest, it’s probably easier to enjoy self-care and pampering when you don’t have a partner to think about!
- Having someone might make you feel trapped. Relationships aren’t guaranteed to lead to happiness. In fact, they can have the opposite effect. Being in the wrong relationship, or with the wrong person, can actually leave you feeling trapped. While there are plenty of people in relationships who are happy, there are also lots who are unhappy and feeling stuck. And by the same token, there are lots of singletons who are loving their freedom and their life. So a partner is no way, shape, or form, the only prescription for happiness.
- You’ll be free from relationship stress and drama. Let’s face it: some relationships come with huge amounts of stress. Even healthy relationships can be difficult from time to time. Between the compromise that’s required to the emotional strength love can demand of us, sometimes it’s easier to just be single. Single life does come with its own problems. But at least you’ll be free from the specific types of stress and drama that tend to come with being in a relationship. These hurdles can really impact a person’s happiness—another reason why you don’t actually need a relationship to be happy. Sometimes, you can be happier without anyone in your life!
