Let’s get real: glance wherever you want, whether it’s social media, movies, or just in general, there’s a not-so-subtle (or subtle) message that to be coupled is to be complete. What if being single and independent are two of the most empowering, most satisfying places you can inhabit? It’s time to flip the script and love the advantages of being alone. These are the 9 best advantages of being single and independent—published in reverse order, because the best is yet to follow.
9. Improved Friendships and Family Relations
Being single allows you extra time and energy to invest in friendships and family relationships. With no responsibilities of a romantic relationship, you can nurture these relationships, expand your social circle, and have a healthy support system. As one expert puts it, it is that staying single allows you to “cultivate more meaningful relationships with friends and family, and build your social network without the confines that sometimes exist with being in a couple” (The Perks of Being Single: Embracing Independence and Self-Discovery).
8. Time for Self-Development and Healing
Being single gives you the valuable gift of time—time to focus on yourself, your hobbies, your job, or even just time to heal from a breakup. Without the distraction of a relationship to contend with, you can dive into self-care, personal growth, and knowing yourself. Maplewood Counseling suggests that, “With no significant other taking up your time and attention, you have more time for self-care and personal growth.”
7. Financial Freedom and Independence
Managing your own finances while single can be incredibly freeing. You are the sole authority on how to spend, save, and invest your dollars—no need to seek permission. Not only is this empowering, but it makes you feel secure. As stressed by a National Endowment for Financial Education report, “54% of couples indicate that financial independence has a positive effect on their relationship satisfaction,” showing just how significant independence is, despite the fact that they’re in relationships (Empowered Together: The Importance of Financial Independence in Relationships).
6. No Compromise Necessary
Relationships are compromises, often sacrificing your own needs or wants. When you are single, you don’t have to sacrifice yourself for someone else’s happiness. You can put your own goals and desires first without the guilt. As described by Maplewood Counseling, “As a single person, you don’t have to make any sacrifices for another person’s happiness.”
5. Autonomy to Explore and Be Spontaneous
Single life = freedom. Want to go traveling on a whim? Pick up a new hobby? Move to a new town? Do it all without needing to consult a partner. This freedom to act spontaneously can lead you on some of life’s biggest adventures. As The Bloom Room points out, “You can make last-minute plans, travel on a whim, and seize new opportunities as they arise.”
4. Building Strength and Resilience
Being single makes you dependent on your own strength and independent in making decisions. This independence makes you resilient and confident in yourself. As Maplewood Counseling explains, “Being single can also build strength and resilience within oneself.” You learn to navigate challenges independently, which can be very empowering.
3. Better Emotional Well-being
Learning how to be happy and content alone is a great life skill. Being single gives you the time to learn about yourself, self-care, and inner peace. As The Bloom Room says, “Learning to love and appreciate yourself on your own can lead to more emotional strength and happiness.”
2. Personal Growth and Self-Discovery
Without the presence of a significant other, you have the opportunity to focus on your own desires and needs, leading to an even better understanding of yourself. This period of self-knowledge has the potential to make you a more self-confident, confident individual, ready for whatever life brings. According to More Magazine, “Embracing independence and self-discovery set a clear path for me to have what I want in a significant other and what I can provide.”
1. Complete Freedom and Authenticity
The number one item on our list is the greatest advantage: having the freedom to do life your way and be the best, most authentic version of you. You get to pick yourself, prioritize yourself, and decide for yourself in ways that are in line with what you stand for. As one writer so simply put it, “Choosing yourself means finding your own voice in the noise of society, recognizing your value independently of others’ approval, and making decisions that feel true to who you are” (What Does It Mean To Choose Yourself?).
Next time someone inquires about why you’re not yet married, you can smile and inform them that you’re busy doing what you’re doing best—your way.