Maybe it’s because you feel like all of your friends are with someone, or maybe social media makes it seem like everybody is perfectly happy. But the truth is, being single as a teen isn’t such a bad thing, and here’s why:

You get to learn more about yourself! Being in a long term relationship can make it hard to differentiate between your own identity and your partner’s, and it can be hard for young people to figure out who they are on their own. This is a great benefit of being single, instead of focusing your attention on someone else, you get to focus on yourself and learn more about you! You get to explore your own interests, make your own friends, decide how you want to spend your time, and make your own decisions. When you’re single you have the freedom to put yourself first and do the things you really like- no compromising on a netflix movie- you get to do you.

All of your time is your own. You may notice that it seems impossible for your friend in a relationship to find time to hang out with you, this is because being in a relationship takes up a ton of time. Without one, you have the choice to be able to spend your time however you’d like. If you want to pick up an extra shift at work, or hang out with your friends, you can do that! And the great part is you don’t need permission from anyone, if you don’t feel like going out, you don’t have to deal with the guilt of letting someone else down, it’s all up to you.  It is so important to live out your teenage years and to not let anyone else dictate it.

There’s no pressure. No worries about what to wear on dates or how to impress your partner. Plus no need to go out and buy chocolate and flowers, or come up with an amazing twirp proposal poster. You get to relax and enjoy the great parts of singlehood, lucky you! Enjoy that there is no pressure being put on you to perfectly perform all of the countless duties a relationship requires.

Your bank account is thanking you. Think about all of the money you are saving by being single. On average, dating costs about 160 bucks a month, that’s 160 that you are adding up each month to use however you’d like! You can have enough money saved up to spend on things you want, instead of spending it on dates or valentine gifts. 

No worries about a potential break-up. Everyone knows that break-ups are no fun, thankfully for you though, no need to worry about that! Almost every relationship ever will break up at some point, even the married ones have a half chance at staying together! So save up all your tissues and sad songs for another time.

You are a better friend. Without generalizing everyone in a relationship, most of those who are single tend to be a better friend because they are less distracted by a partner. You can put all of your attention on your friends and notice how much people will appreciate you! You can also give out tons of good relationship advice because you won’t be blind to the red flags that your love-stuck friends might not be able to see through their rose-colored glasses. 

Valentine or not, on February 14th, take the time to do something nice for yourself or your friends! Go out for dinner with your best friend, or have a self-care night. Either way, don’t let the valentine blues ruin the day for you!