Opinion: Why Being Single Is So Great!

Picture Credit: DeathtoStock

 Written by Jessica Hutchby

When I first became single about 5 years ago most of my friends were in a relationship.  I thought I was the only person who was single, but this year the Office of National Statistics released ‘Have Living Arrangements and Marital Status in England and Wales Changed since 2001’ and its data shows that over half the population of the UK are single. London has the highest population of singles. The trend of women being single is not just happening here in the UK, women in America are also choosing to be single. Last year over half the population of America were single, this shows a growing global trend of women choosing to be single over a relationship. There are many positives to being single.  

- You don’t always have to look your best.

If you want to spend your day in your trackie bottoms with a baggy hoody on then do it. When you are single you really don’t need to look your best all the time because you don’t need to impress anyone at all.

- Listen to your own music and watch what you want on TV.

You can listen to whatever music you want. If you are a fan of heavy metal and your ex hated it, you can now play that as loud as you want.  The same as if you adore musicals and your other half used to hate it. You play that music as loud as you want and you sing to your heart’s content because no one can judge you. Well, maybe your neighbours will, but at least they will probably do it quietly. You can also watch exactly what you want on TV. If you want to binge watch the soaps on a Friday night when they’ve recorded on your Sky+ box all week then you do it, you want to watch that girly romcom then you do that as well!

- Much easier to not have to subtly flirt with the guy on the tube.

Yes, this is great! Especially that perfectly tattooed guy with the ripped jeans, the baggy tee and the off-white Converse shoes. You are able to send in your crush to the Metro’s Rush Hour Crush column and he might see it the next morning when you both get on the tube/bus together AGAIN, like you do everyday of the week. If only you had the guts to say something to him, can you imagine how good that would be?

- Be who you want to be.

This is the best time to become who you want to become. If you want to turn into that sassy girl who is not going take any rubbish from anyone then you become her. What about that pottery class you wanted to start, or that scuba diving class you never started taking? Now is the time to do that! If you want to become the girl who wants to spend all her time indoors reading books and binge watching Netflix, you become that girl! Be who you want to be and do what you want to do!

-  No worrying about if he will get in touch with you.

At least now you don’t have to sit and wonder why he has not got in touch with you or worry what you could have possibly done wrong because the last text you got from him, his reply was simply ‘K’. Your phone is now your haven again. You can use social media and text to your heart’s content and if someone doesn’t text back, so what, it doesn’t matter unless the text was super important.

- Knowing where your stuff is.

You no longer need to worry about where half of your belongings are and you also don’t have to worry about sneaking your hairdryer, straighteners and favourite chocolate into their house. You also don’t have to hide things in the bottom of your handbag, for example, the first time you think you are going to stay at his you don’t have to sneak a pair of pants and a whole new outfit, your makeup and the kitchen sink in your handbag.

- You can have a girl’s night, every single night of the week!

You can have the girls over to watch Tangled every single night of the week if you want too! What about that girls’ holiday you have been planning for last 2 years, you can book it!

- You only need to impress your family!

When you get into a relationship you have suddenly adopted a new set of parents and sometimes even new siblings whom you feel like you need to impress. This means there is a lot of pressure on you because you now only have to impress your own family, who, lets be honest, love you at both your worst and your best!

See being single isn’t that bad. Plus according to a study by The Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, researchers have found that people who are single are much more likely to keep in touch with their friends and family. Being single also makes us much more sociable. There are many other reasons that being single is great. A single woman is great for the economy; she is someone who is more likely to go on a night out and is also more likely to spend money on new clothes ready for that first date. According to CNN Money single women are much more likely to be snapped up for a job. Since the financial crash of 2009, 90% of singletons have snapped up the majority of the jobs available.