Being single is great and all until you have to sit through a dinner with your best friends and their boyfriends and you’re just sitting there by yourself. It’s like you are the odd one out. It can hurt to be surrounded by your friends in relationships, but sometimes being the only single friend has its benefits. Here are some reasons why being the only single friend in your friend group may not be so bad after all.
When you are in a relationship, it’s hard to make time for everything in your life. You often have to balance your relationship, friends, school, work, and any other activities you may be a part of. It can become really stressful and tiresome. Oftentimes, the only time you can see your friends is on the weekend, but it gets challenging when you also want to spend time with your significant other. When I was in a relationship, I did not get the opportunity to see my friends that often which put a strain on a lot of my friendships. One benefit of being single is that you don’t have to worry about balancing out your time with your friends and a significant other. It’s a lot less complicated to figure out your weekend plans when you don’t have to worry about upsetting your partner. You get more time to focus on yourself and what’s important to you.
Another great part about being the single friend is that you don’t have to deal with the complications of being in a relationship. No more stressing about another person or getting upset over a fight you had with your partner. Personally, when I broke up with my ex, a whole weight seemed to be lifted off my shoulders. I no longer had to spend so much time worrying about maintaining my relationship or what my partner was doing—I could just worry about myself for once. Also, you can learn a lot by watching your friends and their partners go through things in their relationship. You can notice the good and bad parts and channel that into learning more about what you want in your next relationship. It’s good to have your own experiences, but sometimes you can learn a lot by watching other people.
As I mentioned before, being the only single friend allows you to focus in on yourself and also try new things on your own. You’ll be the friend with all the fun, exciting stories of things you’ve tried. Try doing things that you’ve always wanted to, but never thought you would have had the chance. It’s your time to do all those crazy adventures you’ve been thinking about. Go somewhere new or maybe even try a new hobby. You won’t be single forever so you might as well get in some quality time to yourself while you can. It may be scary to go and do things by yourself, but I promise you it’s worth it. It feels so liberating and brave every time I try something new by myself. One thing I was terrified of was going to eat out by myself. Once I did it, I was so proud of myself. Although I was alone, I felt content with myself.
You shouldn’t look at being the single friend as embarrassing or lonely, but instead think of yourself as being an independent, strong person that doesn’t need someone else. Be the confident, amazing person that you are. Your friends may even envy your independence and confidence. You won’t be the single friend forever, so now is your time to live it up and do the things you’ve always wanted to do.