Do you ever answer “single” and then quickly add “for now” or “hopefully not for long” just to soften the blow? Many people treat being single as if it’s a temporary glitch — something to fix, escape, or apologize for. But when you view singlehood as a waiting room, it becomes almost impossible to enjoy it.
Seeing Singlehood as a ‘Problem’ Keeps You Unhappy
When you believe your current state is simply a placeholder for something “better,” you automatically stop living in the present. Waiting rarely feels joyful — whether it’s standing in line for concert tickets or waiting for your coffee to brew. The same is true for relationships: if you’re convinced happiness starts only when a partner enters your life, the present moment feels like a delay rather than part of your life story.
But what if that partner never arrives? Would you look back and realize you spent years waiting instead of living?
Shift Your Focus: Enjoy Being Single Now
As John Lennon sang, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” When you obsess over the future, the present slips by unnoticed. Time moves quickly, and before you know it, regret arrives.
The future is full of unknowns. Careers change, health shifts, and circumstances can flip unexpectedly. The moment you have right now — your independence, your choices, your peace — could be more precious than you realize.
Try Assuming You’ll Stay Single — Not Forever, but for Now
This sounds radical, but it’s a useful mindset shift.
Instead of assuming a relationship is guaranteed, imagine that this is your permanent state. If you truly believed that, what would you do differently tomorrow? Would you keep waiting… or start creating the life you want today?
Make a list of what you have right now — opportunities, passions, interests, skills — and use them. Travel solo, enroll in that class, pursue the hobby you’ve pushed aside. Don’t wait for a partner to give you permission.
Happiness grows faster when you water what’s already in your garden.
Singlehood Comes With Freedom You Won’t Always Have
One major advantage of being single? Freedom.
You can:
- Design your own daily routine
- Choose your priorities
- Spend your free time however you want
- Make decisions without compromise
- Wear Pikachu underwear while making smoothies — judgment-free
Relationships can be beautiful, but they require shared decisions, sacrifices, routines, compromises, and emotional labor. Don’t overlook the unique joy in having your life entirely to yourself.
Stop Romanticizing Relationships
Movies and dating apps often show idealized love stories, but real relationships require constant effort. Even wonderful partnerships include misunderstandings, responsibilities, arguments, bills, chores, and complicated emotions.
Being single doesn’t mean you’re missing out. It simply means you’re living a life that looks different — and in many ways, lighter.
Celebrate Your Single Season
Instead of responding “single… for now,” try saying “single — and it’s actually great.”
Embrace your independence, invest in your growth, and enjoy the freedom this season brings. If a partner shows up later, wonderful. If not, you will still have lived a full, joyful, meaningful life.
Being single isn’t a waiting room. It’s a chapter filled with possibilities — if you let yourself see them.
