Single life is one of those times where you never really appreciate the value of it until you no longer have it. While you’re single, you kind of wish you were in a relationship, and when you’re in a relationship, you realise how simple things were when you were single.
So make the most of it, do all the things you want to do and dream of doing. Because you don’t need man or relationship to make your dreams come true – you can do it all on your own! And there are some things you must do while you’re still single, and make the most of this time on your own.
1 – Live Alone
I understand for some, financially, this may not be feasible depending on where you live. But if you can manage it, even if it’s living in a crappy little apartment, spend some time living on your own. It. Is. Amazing. To have a space like your home entirely to yourself is a completely different experience.
Plus, you learn a lot about who you are in that time, which is something that seems to happen a lot when you’re single. It also means you have to take care of yourself, change your own lightbulbs, do your own grocery shopping and pay your own bills… on time and learn how to manage your money. Like real adulting.
2 – Stay In A Fancy Hotel
Who says you need to go away with someone to stay in a fancy hotel? You can absolutely do this all on your own. Again, time alone is a big learning curve, especially when staying somewhere new.
Plus, never fear the ‘honeymoon suite’. I’ve totally booked one of these when I was single, all by myself. I had champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries on arrival, that I didn’t have to share with anyone else. Plus, a giant king bed… all to myself. And was able to take advantage of the two massages that came with the booking… all for me! Sometimes you can score a good deal on these so don’t pass it up just because you’re staying on your own.
3 – Date Yourself
This is possibly the most important point of all. Date yourself. Make yourself feel as important as you want a partner to make you feel. Treat yourself the way you want a partner to treat you. If you don’t treat yourself how you expect to be treated, how will anyone know what level of awesome you expect from them?
Now is the perfect time to put yourself first and learn that being ‘selfish’ is actually a really good trait to have, and one you’ll need to call back on later in life. Spend time learning how to cook healthy food, take a cooking class, experiment in the kitchen. Get yourself a gym membership, go on a hike, take yourself on adventure dates.
What’s your ‘dream date’? Go and live it on your own first! Treat yourself in the most amazing way possible and you’ll never settle for anything less than what you deserve.
This all leads into the next point.
4 – Figure Out What You’re Looking For And Don’t Settle For Anything Less
When you’ve been single for a while you start to get into your own head a little, start to wonder if there’s something ‘wrong’ and you start to panic about whether or not you’ll ever find someone amazing. It seems to be even worse when it feels like everyone else around you is getting married and having babies. Argh! This is prime ‘settle’ time. And that’s not a good thing.
Remember all that time you spent dating yourself and working out how you want to be treated. That is what you need to remember here.
Sometimes it takes dating a few people to realise what you actually don’t want in a partner. Sometimes they help you realise what you do want. And sometimes it all falls on you to stand strong and set your boundaries.
Because while it may seem like being in a relationship is better than being alone, there’s nothing worse than being in a relationship and feeling completely alone. Being treated less than amazing. Plus, if you’re in a relationship with someone who treats you less than brilliantly (hey, they may not be bad, they may just not be YOUR perfect match) you might miss the opportunity to meet that one who will treat you the way you want and deserve to be treated.
I promise it’s worth the wait.
5 – Holiday To Wherever You Want
Maybe you’ve always wanted to go and stay at a cute little B&B or beautiful winery? Or perhaps you dream of taking a holiday to Thailand and exploring a new country? Whatever it is, you can make it happen and you don’t need someone by your side.
My dream was to backpack Europe. I had the money and I had the drive, I just kept putting it off… and then I met someone and it moved to my ‘one-day’ list. Maybe I’ll get there, maybe I won’t. But it was no one’s fault other than my own for not going when I had the chance. I had plenty of opportunities, but I let fear hold me back.
Just dive on in and do all the amazing things you dream of and travel to all the amazing places you want to go. It has never been easier than right now.
6 – Spend Time With Your Family
Your family are the most important people you have in your life. Relationships come and go, friendships come and go, but your family are the ones who are there for you no matter what. They know you better than anyone else and you can call on them whenever you need. But they also seem to be the first people who you spend less time with when you start out in a new relationship… so spend time with them now.
Go on a family holiday, take your mum to a winery and stay in a little cottage. Go on adventures with your brother or sister and do all the things together that you said you’d do ‘one day’.
I’m lucky enough to have an amazing family, my brother is my best friend and they are all there for me if and when I need it. I understand for some people this isn’t the case, but maybe you could use this time to mend bridges that need to be mended, establish connections that were broken and build that family relationship back up.
7 – Say Yes To Adventures
For some reason, more opportunities to do amazing, crazy things come your way when you’re single. Pay attention to them and take on the adventure. See an ad somewhere for a last minute holiday deal and think ‘how awesome would that be’? Do it! Get an invite to go camping on an island? GO! Take the opportunities when they arise. Say yes to adventure.
These things don’t just immediately stop when you’re in a relationship, but you have someone else’s wants and needs to consider and sometimes it’s easy to fall into a ‘rut’. Making adventure a habit and saying yes to adventure a skill you have now will help keep that adventure going when you’re in a relationship.
Because there’s just so much to explore and so much to do! And so much amazingness YOU have to offer this world. Don’t hide out until you have ‘someone to do it all with’. Do it now! Take the opportunities now. Learn more about yourself now. And enjoy this time in your life. There’s a lot of things we want to do when we are in relationships but make sure you pay attention to the things you must do while you’re still single too – because they’re just as important and you can do them right now.