Ditch the Single-and-Waiting Mindset Once and for All
You don’t need a partner for your life to begin.
How many times have you’ve been made to feel as if your single life is nothing but a waiting period until you meet your partner and your “real” life can begin?
Socially and culturally, singlehood is often constructed as a “time of waiting.” Dr. Bella DePaulo explains how that perception affects women in particular:
“In the conventional wisdom, then, single women are waiting. The wait can be particularly painful because it is not clear when — or if — it will end. The longer the single women wait, the more behind schedule they are perceived to be. They are tardy and not sticking to the prescribed timetable for life events.”
Dr. Bella DePaulo writes extensively about single life. She’s done research on how singles are perceived in society, and much of her work is about how some people are single at heart and, contrary to all stereotypes, absolutely thrive in that lifestyle.
But you don’t have to identify as “single at heart” to realize how treating your singlehood as a time of waiting is hurting you.
You can ultimately want to partner up for life and still take advantage of all the time you spend by yourself until you do. It is, after all, your life…
