People Honestly Shared Why They Are Glad to Be Single

There is an opinion that says single people feel loneliness more intensely before the holidays. But is this feeling really that bad? We might be able to learn about our own needs and desires and accomplish our own ambitious goals and reach them when we are alone.

We at Bright Side got curious about reading people’s opinions from AskReddit who are fully enjoying their singleness and who find many advantages in it.

• I can do whatever I want, whenever I want. If I want to stay up late, I can. If I want to buy something, I can. If I want to watch a movie, I can. If I feel like listening to music, I can. If I feel like reorganizing or redecorating my apartment, I can. I can choose how I use my time. I can choose how I spend my money. I can choose how I save my money. Do I feel lonely? I’ll admit it, sometimes I do. But I have good friends. If I feel like hanging out with my friends, if someone wants to hang out with me, I can. If I don’t feel like going out, I can stay home. © photon3on / Reddit

• God, I remember rushing home every day because if I was even 5 minutes late getting in the door, I would have to explain myself. Then I would walk in perfectly on time and he’d still be in a horrible mood. Now I can spend the whole day driving around doing absolutely nothing and I don’t have to explain it to anybody and going home is actually an enjoyable thought. © Seducedbyfish / Reddit

• I don’t have to worry about what I look like or what I’m wearing while I’m just chilling on my days off. Hair up in a messy bun, no makeup, no pants, no problem. © not-a-real_username / Reddit

• Honestly, being single allowed me to put more focus on finishing my undergrad degree, which I just did last week. © njf175 / Reddit

• Wanna watch a movie? I pick what I want and don’t have to debate what we’re both in the mood for, or whose turn it is to pick, or “I don’t like scary movies, let’s watch a rom-com!” Wanna get something to eat? I go get what sounds good to me and don’t have to hem and haw for an hour over what sounds good to you but not to me, then me but not you, and then finally settle on something that neither of us really wants but we can both deal with when all I want in this world is sushi. Wanna sleep till noon on my day off then get up and just play video games all afternoon? My choice and mine alone and nobody can try to shame me for it, or complain that I’m not paying attention to them. Having an off day and don’t feel like talking at all or expressing my feelings? I don’t have to talk to anyone or feel pressured to “open up” to them because we’re dating. © DomLite / Reddit

• Stuff in my home is exactly where I left it. I’m not actually single but this is what I remember from when I was. Other people have all kinds of weird habits that make your life difficult. Want to wash a pan? Someone’s filled the sink with plates! Go to find your keys? Someone couldn’t find theirs and has borrowed yours and thinks they may be in their coat pocket! Where’s the coat? They can’t remember! © bsnimunf / Reddit

• You don’t have to remember trivial dates, buy extra gifts during holidays or for specific people, no need to justify my purchases, share food, or even decide on food. © UBootCaptain / Reddit

• Flirting is soooo much fun. Plus the possibility of being in a new relationship is something to look forward to! It’s fantastic. © F22man / Reddit

• I have been single most of my adult life and I find it really annoying when I am living with a partner. I had a partner who snored and that really affected me with the lack of sleep I was getting. You get set in your ways then all of a sudden you have someone wanting you to do a whole bunch of things another way. I don’t necessarily prefer to be single, but I prefer to live on my own. © 11015h4d0wR34lm / Reddit

• I can eat a sandwich or popcorn for dinner if that’s what I want. © momination / Reddit

• I have been single for the last 10 years. All my money is mine. All my time is mine. All my attention goes where I want it to go. I just try to get fulfillment in life. © Nope_Nope_Nope_0 / Reddit

• Got off work at an indecent hour? I don’t have to sneak into bed and then have an awkward conversation that I’m too tired to have when I wake them up and they ask what time it is, and why I’m so late, and what kept me, and how was my day, when the only thing I want to do is close my eyes and rest. © DomLite / Reddit

• I’m not a huge fan of the single life, but in the past when I’ve been in a relationship, I always felt like I needed to check my phone 24/7. I like being able to just chill and play video games, watch a movie, or hang out with friends without checking my phone constantly. © RealECW / Reddit

• I can sleep in the middle of the bed with the fan on if I want. I can also leave something on the table, come back 2 weeks later, and it is still there. © GoatSculpture / Reddit

• I have so many hobbies. When I was in a relationship I couldn’t do any of them. I even had a hard time making time for school work. Now that I’m out of a relationship, I’ve been playing music, painting, coding, etc. Literally today I finished designing and making the wooden case for some headphones I’m making. © artisnotdefined / Reddit

• I was engaged but broke it off in July after putting up with a lot of disrespect from him and his family. I had quite a bit of money put aside for our wedding, but now I can spend it on things I’ve wanted for a very long time. I am finally taking care of myself and learning more about who I am as an individual instead of being someone’s fiancée. © celestialnight994 / Reddit

• I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, without checking in with anyone. Also, no woman should have to be subjected to my toxic family. © yeetg**mcnechass / Reddit

• My apartment is clean and neat and most importantly, 95% empty. © TheCrimsonChariot / Reddit

• Learned to love myself without needing anyone else’s words of affirmation after being single for the first time in a few years. © FinalTourist / Reddit

• I don’t want to take into account someone else’s wants and needs when making life decisions. © maraca101 / Reddit

• I’d rather be single than be with someone who doesn’t appreciate my love and affection. © sinderella666×0x / Reddit

• As someone who got out of a 3-year-long relationship about 4 months ago, I would say one of the biggest things that makes me happy about being single is being able to see myself clearly again, you don’t realize how much being in a relationship can blind you to how you’ve changed, or how love can numb you to certain things. When I got out of that relationship and once the initial crying and being depressed phase ended, I slowly realized how much happier I was and how much I’ve changed, some of it good and some bad, but it was like being able to see myself through a clear lens and not through a distorted one. © mercury111111111 / Reddit

• Call me selfish, but I like the freedom to wake up and go to sleep when I want to, to decorate and organize my home (that I bought and paid off on my own) as I like, to make my plans and schedule as I see fit, to watch/read/play whatever I want, to buy and wear whatever I want, to cook and eat whatever I want (and not have to share), and to make long term financial and career goals without having to worry about it conflicting with someone else’s. © kokoromelody / Reddit

• I get to play video games, watch movies, build the most expensive Lego sets, and focus on my job a lot more — totally uninterrupted. I hate having to check my phone constantly because I might miss my partner’s texts and have to deal with a stupid argument. Not saying all partners are like that, just in my experience. © Meese46290 / Reddit

• The only things stressing me are my own stressors. I don’t have to help support someone else through theirs. © 01kaj10 / Reddit

• I learned who I am after I decided to stop dating. It’s been 4 years being single, and I really love who I’ve become. I was able to establish myself, my goals, and who I want to be. © kylo_drew / Reddit

• I read this article a while ago that really clarified my feelings on this. Studies show that people who are married are, on average, slightly happier than people who are not married. Which has been known for a long time, so people have sort of internalized the idea that marriage equals happiness. But when you break down the numbers in that, what it actually looks like is that people in happy marriages are much happier than everyone else and people in unhappy marriages are much less happy than everyone else. So being in a good relationship is the best situation. But being single is the second-best, and far better than being in a bad relationship. So to me, it’s like not the very best, but it is the second-best and that’s pretty good. It’s like you don’t have a Jaguar but you have a Honda, and it’s reliable and gets you where you need to go. And at least you’re not driving a car from the ’70s with a leak in the fuel-line and a plastic Jaguar-sculpture taped on the hood. © TheBaddestPatsy / Reddit

• I never want to turn the key in the door and have to worry about what is going on, on the other side again. I don’t want to have to manage another’s emotions or walk on eggshells. I love the peace that my space is mine alone. I also hate the obligations that tend to come with relationships. I don’t want to attend other people’s events, or buy presents for in-laws, etc. Basically, I’m selfish. © UnfeelingSelfishGirl / Reddit

• That fear of coming home just for the sake of not knowing your significant other’s mood and being extra cautious to not trigger anything in any way. Then struggling to find out if it’s a good day and I am expected to say hi with a kiss or a bad day and I’m expected to not interrupt them at all, such a bad feeling. I am just learning to love coming home again. © ElDschi / Reddit

• I’ve been in a toxic relationship before, and I still think it’s better to be alone than to be stuck with the wrong person. I’m not sorry that I had the experience, but I am glad it’s behind me. Now hopefully I can find something better. © dark_blue_7 / Reddit

• I have a queen bed and I can use one half to sleep and the other half for books and my Nintendo switch. My bed is the best nightstand for all my books when I’m too lazy to get up on weekends. No one is there that I have to move stuff over for so they can sleep. © Amazing_Ratio_7968 / Reddit

• I can save money. Other than rent, utilities, and gas I only spent $50 on food in the past 3 months. © suitology / Reddit

• No drama over where to spend the holidays. © hostess_cupcake / Reddit

• I can only hang with my friends when I want to. I am an introvert and used to date an extrovert who couldn’t get through one weekend without going out/socializing at least 5x. He’d insist on dragging me along on or invite his friends over. That was horrible for me, I just wanted to relax on my own or spend quality time together instead of having to entertain guests that weren’t even nice to me half the time. © jijijojijijijio / Reddit

• I can talk to myself aloud and it won’t seem weird to anyone. If someone else is around when you talk to yourself, you’re a nutcase, but if no one hears you, it’s fine. © KadTheHunter / Reddit

• I can do whatever I want and not feel guilty about spending time with no one. © Dawulf187falke / Reddit

• As a married man (with kids), this is probably what I miss the most. Especially kids man. It’s one thing to have a partner around to have to get permission from to do things, but kids is a whole different story. No matter what I want to do tonight, my kid is going to wake up at 7 a.m. Needs to be changed, fed, etc. © IronPylons / Reddit

How do you relate to being single? Do you think it has more pros or cons?