8 Surprising Benefits of Being Single

Being single comes with amazing benefits that ultimately impacts on your health. These benefits includes a greater sense of independence, discovering yourself, advancing your career, better sleep, more disposable income, less guilt, and traveling as you see fit.

We live in a culture of society where we are encourages or forced into being in relationships because it’s the “right” thing to do. People frown being single, whether that be your family or close friends who happen to be married.
However, what if you found out that people in committed relationships are to varying degrees unhappy inside, even though they do a wonderful job of hiding it?

This is not to say that relationships are bad, just that part of the deal seems to be trading some of your individuality and becoming more agreeable. If you are single, you may not appreciate what we are talking about, but you can take this time of your life to do all the things important to you. Here are some surprising ways being single isn’t all that bad.

8 Surprising Benefits of Being Single

1. You Have More Disposable Income

Being in relationships, or marriages in particular, can be the most financially restrictive time of your life, as endless bills need to be paid, you probably have a mortgage and car payments in addition to many other expenses, which only skyrocket more if you have kids together.

When you are single (and unattached, no kids) you are able to spend money on things you truly want, and do not necessarily have to figure out if it will upset your spouse. Financial issues are a major source of arguments in relationships and can cause undue stress on your body, even shortening your lifespan. Enjoy this perk of being single.

2. More Friends And A Wider Social Network

One of the major notable differences between being single and in a relationship is the size of your friend network. You are able to go out with friends who make you feel good, make memories and have a great time. When in a relationship, that network seems to shrink considerably, for one reason or another. For example, your significant other may dislike certain people you spend time with, and you may be put in an awkward position of picking sides. On the other hand, if you have a large number of friends of the opposite gender, it can cause your mate to feel threatened, and lead to you withdrawing yourself from certain social situations. If you’re young and single, enjoy every day, as there will most likely be a time when you need to change your network of close associates, willingly or unwillingly.

3. Better Sleep

You can get good sleep whether you are single or in a relationship, but the scale definitely tilts in your favor if you are unattached. Yes, you may have a job, but you know better how to balance your life so that you can have a social life and sleep enough to feel recuperated afterwards. You are likely to sleep in on the weekends, something you may not have the luxury of doing if in a relationship as you may need to wake up early to do “chores” or other things. Plus, sleeping in the same bed with another person is not for everyone. Yes, it seems like the right thing to do in a relationship, but if you partner snores, rolls incessantly or wakes frequently it could inevitably affect your quality of sleep.

4. You Career May Prosper

There’s a reason many people who focus on their career wait well into their thirties or even forties to settle down into relationships, and this is simply because it is near impossible to give 100% to two different things at the same time. While trying to get a leg up on the competition in your professional life, it may require many late nights at the office, and being an absolute shark with no regard for anything else. However, if you are in a relationship you simply cannot give 100% of your time to your job, as without attention and time spent nurturing your relationship will fall apart. So, instead many people choose to achieve professional greatness first, setting themselves up for success and a comfortable, life and then choose to start a relationship afterwards.

5. Greater Sense Of Independence

Jumping from mama’s home into a matrimonial home doesn’t necessarily leave you well equipped to deal with the real world, and you may find yourself struggling to manage a home, finances and trying to keep your relationship intact. However, living on your own for just a few years teaches you to be independent and learn to do things that you otherwise might never learn to do, such as changing a lightbulb, fixing a flat tire or doing your laundry and cooking. When you are single you won’t always have someone to rely on and do those things for you, which will leave you better equipped going into a relationship later on as responsibilities will be shared fairly and in the event of a breakup you won’t struggle to survive.

6. Travel As You See Fit

Want to take a weekend trip? If you’re in a relationship, you likely won’t be able to just pick yourself up and go as you please, but would instead require weeks of planning, packing and much more. Being single allows you to be more spontaneous, maybe you want to ditch the country and head to a neighboring country for a few days. Your partner won’t take kindly to that, and is likely to lead to an argument and undue stress. Plus, if you don’t have the funds to cover a trip for you, your significant other surely wouldn’t like that and may accuse you of having ulterior motives.

7. Find Your True Self

Rushing into relationships too young hardly works out well, as during that period of your life you are still learning what makes you happy and who you will become. Being in a relationship changes you, and not necessarily for the better, to become more amendable and docile to appease your partner. No wonder why as years go by some people in relationship grow to despise each other, as they could rightfully lay blame at the feet of the other person for making them become something they never wanted to. Worse yet, is spending years with someone and then realizing you never truly discovered yourself and feeling that sense of regret. Spend a few years learning what makes you happy, and characteristics the perfect mate possesses that would be compatible with you.

8. Less Guilt And Second Guessing Yourself

Many people in relationships are constantly bombarded by “what if” and guilt from making decisions that may not sit well with their partners. Single people, on the other hand, don’t need to carry around the guilt from doing what makes them happy, and can rest easy with their decisions, not needing to apologize often for choices they made.

Conclusion

Is being single for everyone? Not necessarily. However, being single is a phase all of us will pass through, and one we do not need to rush out of. Time spent being single can set you up later in life for great things, be that a prosperous career, relationship and family life or just great compatibility and joy out of life. Regardless of your reasons, being single does not mean being unhappy or lonely, as that and being alone are two starkly different things.