One of the most frustrating things about being a young adult is the unnecessary pressure to date and be in a relationship. Everyone has had their parents ask if there is a new guy or girl that they're talking to, or more embarrassingly, being asked by your parents in public if you think someone you've met (or interacted with for 2 seconds) is attractive. Don't get me wrong, I have played third wheel long enough to know how lonely it can get sometimes. Everyone is always posting and talking about "goals" with heart eyes, and the perfect dates and the cutest Instagram pictures.
It's natural for people to relate being in a relationship as something happy, whereas it is also natural for people to relate being single as something more negative. I think it is important for people to know that it is okay to be single. There's always that overwhelming feeling that sometimes you want someone to lean on and call your own outside of your family, and other days being single rocks.
Our culture has also made being in a relationship associate with maturity. If you can stay and maintain a relationship as a young person, then you are somehow much farther in life than the person who is single you're sitting next to right now. It's often implied by many of the conversations I have had with parents talking about there kids and their significant others. Granted being in a relationship, especially a good and healthy relationship, does take a lot of maturity from both parties. However, I would argue that a persons desire to pursue a relationship does not measure my maturity and ability to commit, nor does it mean they will be single forever.
People can be happy with being single, and still want a relationship.
Most people who are content with being single would also love to be in a relationship, it's just not something they NEED. I personally don't feel like I need to be in a relationship right now, but I also sure wouldn't mind loving someone with every ounce of my being. If that girl were to come along, I'd have no reason not to dive into that relationship
Frankly, as an extravert, I realized that sometimes I'm not desiring a relationship but more so the company of other people and human interaction. There are people out there who just enjoy being single. There are also those people who have tried to make something happen and it just isn't there time or they haven't met the right person for them (and no, there is nothing wrong with being picky).
In my circle of friends I'm fortunate to not have to worry about being shamed for being single, or not being sexually active. However, there are people out there who are and that is dangerous. From my own experience having those kinds of pressures amplified self-consciousness, affected my self-esteem, and plainly just made me feel uncomfortable in my own skin because of the feeling of not being good enough. I'm here to say that even if you are an individual facing that today, guess what? Just be you. If you want to be single for the rest of your life, live your life my friend. If you're waiting and saving yourself for that perfect someone, I salute you. If you're struggling with the dating scene, you have a whole life to live to let that be at the top of your priority list.
While being single there's no pressure to be on anyone else's timeline but your own. You can take me time whenever you want without worrying about what another individual is doing, and most importantly you don't have to share YOUR food with anybody, I really mean nobody. Make the best out of the time you have to yourself to build yourself as an individual, because it will pay out in the long run.
Moral of the story to all my single folks. I am happily single while open to the idea of a relationship. If you're nobody's "type", or have been rejected too many times and are kind of over it, or just really happy being single, all of those things are perfectly o.k. There is no time limit to fall in love, there's no real rush to start a family, and you should care for yourself first!
