1. It’s much better to stay single than to enter the wrong relationship.
2. Being single for a long period of time does not mean you haven’t had your heart broken for a long time. You might have been crushed by an almost relationship or a guy you texted for weeks or someone you had one conversation with at a party. You can get your heart broken by someone you never even came close to dating. You don’t have to enter a relationship in order to risk getting hurt.
3. No one gives a damn about your relationship status. Aunts and cousins might ask you about your love life, but they are only trying to make conversation. For the most part, when they are asking if you are in a relationship, they are reallyasking if you are happy. They are just phrasing it in a problematic way.
4. It’s better to feel lonely in your empty bedroom than while sitting next to the person who is supposed to be your forever.
5. Alone time is not something to shy away from. Alone time is valuable. It can help you learn a lot about yourself. It can help you discover what path you should take moving forward.
6. You should never run back to an ex because you are feeling lonely. You should keep the past in the past.
7. Being single does not mean you are unattractive or unlovable. It means you haven’t found the right person yet.
8. Being single only gets easier. The more time you spend on your own, the more independent you become. Eventually you will move passed the point of surviving on your own and reach the point of being happy on your own.
9. Marriage is not the only milestone worth pursuing. There are career goals, travel goals, and lifestyle goals you should be setting your sights on. There are ways you can reach fulfillment without entering a relationship. You can be a success story without a ring on your finger.
10. Even though there are moments when you feel lonely, you are never really alone. You have family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and pets who care about you as much as they care about themselves.
11. Your standards should never be lowered so you can finally say you are in a relationship. You should hold out for someone who meets your expectations.
12. No matter how independent you are, no matter how comfortable you are with your single status, there are going to be days when you are jealous of friends in happy relationships and wish you were part of a couple. That does not make you weak or a liar or a fraud. It makes you human.
13. There are people who are going to reject you. But there are other people who will consider you their dream girl.
14. Your friends and family love you as strongly as any boyfriend could, so don’t feel like you are missing out.
15. Everyone moves at their own pace. Some people find their soulmates in high school and others find them in their sixties.
16. Some of the most beautiful, intelligent women in the world are single at this exact moment. You are one of them.
By Holly Riordan for ThoughtCatalog