It's easy to put our life in a metaphorical petri dish and observe it under a magnifying glass while we point out every little aspect that we think needs polishing. It's even easier to subject ourselves to pain in the form of overanalyzing how far behind we are compared to our peers.
So, you're single in your late 20's. You feel your biological clock ticking, nay, tearing away every bit of your youth with every tick-tock. While some of your friends have already started picking baby names for their firstborn, you find comfort in binge-watching Bridgerton at 3 AM and eating pancakes for dinner. At best, you'd be lucky if a guy reacts to your Instagram story selfie with a heart-eyed emoji.
The point is, singledom when you're nearing your 30s is often associated with the gloomy themes of never-ending doom, when it doesn't need to be painted all grey. Here's why you shouldn't be too hard on yourself if you 're still single in your late 20s:
Wholesome platonic relationships exist too.
We're conditioned to believe that romantic connection is one of the very few crucial ingredients that make up a fulfilling life, but platonic relationships are not a secondary kind of love or something you settle with while you're on your quest to find your one true love, but rather, an extension of it. You'd be surprised at how much the captivating magic of having a few real ride-or-dies could lift you up.
Independence is a superpower.
Instead of dreading your menless period, rejoice in the fact that you've got all the time in the world to fully and unapologetically focus on yourself. At the risk of sounding cliche, you should play around with the idea of falling in love with yourself and you'll understand why people say independence can taste so sweet.
Let yourself go through crucial character development.
Let's face it: most of us are still dealing with childhood trauma, bad high school memories that somehow still haunt us... basically all the heavy aftermath of growing up. It's so much better to continuously work on ourselves by identifying our triggers, striving to be better than our circumstances, and going to therapy than infecting everyone in our path with our toxic traits.
In the end, our happiness is our own sole responsibility. Don't tie it to such trivial things as whether or not you have a man. Just remember that timing isn't linear and you should enjoy where you are right now before it becomes a distinct memory of your past.
You don't want to look back and think, "oh I wish I didn't care so much about being single!", no?
