Be Glad to be Single

In her interview with British Vogue Emma Watson told them that she is very happy to be single and has coined her own phrase by saying that she considers herself to be 'self-partnered'.

In a rapidly changing world that signals huge social change, it can be acknowledged that choosing to stay single isn't seen to be so much of a stigma nowadays. It is readily accepted that more people than ever are now making a conscious decision to chase different routes to spiritual fulfillment that doesn't necessarily involve being pushed into certain roles in life such as being a wife, husband or parent.

The most obvious benefit to being single is the fact that you can be totally selfish about all the things that you want to do in your life. This covers a whole plethora of stuff such as choosing how you decorate your home, what food you eat, having sole control of the television remote, bed space, holiday destinations, a wider choice of sexual partners and being able to follow a career path that doesn't have to be interrupted by having a family.

Remove the impetus to form a lasting relationship with your date and you end up feeling much more secure and at ease. If you are not expecting to get serious with your late night dinner date, then it can be awfully liberating to take what you want from the situation and not have to worry about what happens the next day.

Not being in a relationship means that there you can avoid all that give and take stuff such as consideration and compromise. If you want to be a slob and stay in bed all weekend, you can revel in the fact that you have no partner waiting downstairs to nag at you, and if you want to take your dinner up to bed as well, you can do it knowing that you don't have to feel guilty about ruining another person's life whilst making a mess in your own bed.

You will always have your best friend. Invariably when you form a long lasting relationship, your best buddies tend to get a pushed to the side and you end up compromising the relationship of those who are closest to you for the sake of one person.

You can dress how you like without being nagged at for wearing inappropriate clothing. You can flirt with who you like and not have to deal with a jealous partner, and when you go home at night, you can stretch out in your bed without fear of having the duvet ripped away from you in the night and being pushed to the edge of the mattress.

And if you find that your married friends are being critical of your lifestyle and singing the overwhelming advantages of marriage? Well you could acknowledge that there are pro's and cons to being in a committed relationship such as the shared bills, shared costs of a holiday, shared housework and cooking and so on, but again you have to ask yourself how much do you want to be single. Is it a conscious decision that you have made? Or do you have trouble maintaining relationships? It is important to understand the reasons why you have decided to remain single and to be able to find true fulfilment with your choices in life.

Don't ever feel guilty about making the choice to be single. The chances are your married friends are either secretly jealous of your lifestyle, and they themselves yearn for a freer life, or you present a worry to their partner who may consider you to be a threat to their relationship. Either way remind yourself this is your life and you have to walk your own path. Embrace your singlehood and be truly happy!