It’s better to have no one to text than to send him a detailed message, and then realize he read it twenty minutes ago and still hasn’t sent you a response.
It’s better to sit at home alone on a Friday night watching Netflix than to spend hours getting dressed up, only to have him cancel on you at the last second.
It’s better to go out and have fun with your friends on weekends than to wait and see if he’s going to drunk text you with an invitation to his house.
It’s better to have the freedom to flirt with other boys than remain loyal to one, even though he’s been flirting with other girls behind your back.
It’s better to get your beauty sleep than to sit up all night, waiting for his next text to come through.
It’s better to have no one to daydream about than to chase after someone who is playing the field, keeping his eye out for other options, because he doesn’t want to settle down yet.
It’s better to touch yourself with your own hands than to sleep with someone who is only using you for your body, even though he knows you want more from him.
It’s better to focus on your friends and your work than to spend all of your time analyzing the texts he sent and the photos he uploaded to Instagram.
It’s better to admit that you haven’t found the right person for you yet than to convince yourself that a toxic boy is the boy you’re meant to be with.
It’s better to give yourself the love you need than to give your whole heart to someone who will only meet you halfway.
It’s better to say you’re single than it’s complicated. It’s better to be happy on your own than miserable with someone else.
It’s better to be single than to be in an almost relationship, because almost isn’t enough. You deserve more. You deserve reliability, consistency, love.
You deserve someone who will make plans with you a week in advance, because he wants to have time to clean up his apartment and plan the perfect date to impress you. Someone who will answer your emergency texts, even if it’s two in the morning and he has to wake up for work at six.
You deserve someone who is not only willing, but eager to commit to you. Someone who will dedicate himself to you and won’t have any doubt in his mind that he’s making the right decision.
You deserve someone who will make you see that you’re worth a text back, you’re worth a relationship label, you’re worth all of his time and attention.
You deserve so much more than an almost. You deserve someone who says what he’s thinking, who gives as much as he accepts, who keeps every promise and never disappoints you.
So, until you find a relationship like that, stay single.
By Holly Riordan for ThoughtCatalog