My Single Year. 

Why being single is the best thing I have ever done. 

I didn’t set out to spend the last year as, in the cringey words of Bridget Jones, a ‘singleton’. In fact, as is so often the case in these matters,it wasn’t my choice at all. I’d just graduated from university and moved back home to London when my boyfriend broke up with me. It wasn’t pleasant and took a while to get used to but looking back over the past 12 months, it was absolutely the best thing that could have happened to me.

1. Starting your first full time job is time consuming. Like the most time consuming thing I have ever done. It equates to about 25 free hours after work in the week (usually fairly drowsy, sleepy hours) and about 35 waking hours at a weekend. That isn’t a lot of time to fit in things like shopping, seeing lots of friends, going to the gym…I would actually resent having to spend and proportion of those hours on boyfriend obligations.
2. I don’t have to factor another person into my plans. If my friends ask if I want to go to Amsterdam on a certain weekend, I can just check my diary and say ‘yes’. No asking someone else if they have plans.
3. I can say yes to travelling with male friends without having to go through the whole ‘are you sure you’re ok with this?’ thing first.
4. London is probably one of the most fun, exciting and vibrant cities on earth. There are a lot of people to meet and talk to. No dealing with inevitable jealousy from a significant other when I’m texting / being added on social media by new male friends.
5. I’ve become really good friends with a lot of the guys I vaguely knew at university since leaving and frequently see them, party with them, do drinks with them, do dinner with them…you know, innocent non date stuff that a boyfriend would undoubtedly misinterpret.
6. I save a lot of stress and money, notably at Christmas and Birthdays. I don’t resent spending money on people at all. But I always get into such a fluster buying presents for boyfriends that I usually end up going for something far more expensive than necessary in an attempt to disguise the fact I am rubbish at giving thoughtful presents.
7. It’s so much easier to lose weight without a six foot man constantly shoving pizza, chocolate and fast food down his throat at every opportunity.
8. I have had a lot of firsts. Most of which would have been pretty bad if I’d had a boyfriend.

Maybe I’ll change my mind in a few months. My mother is getting a little worried about my reluctance to enter a new relationship, let alone start to think about settling down. Shudder. But right now I am loving the single life filled with raspberry mojitos, holidays and friends without responsibility and ties. Selfish? Probably. Fun? Absolutely.