Being Single in Your Twenties

I recently finished reading the book Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari and I really enjoyed it. It was funny yet very informative on the topic of dating and modern romance all over the world. It really made me think about dating. Dating in this generation is hard. I'm about to be twenty-six years old and I've been single since I was twenty-two and that's okay. I enjoy being single and independent but that's also just who I am because I'm an Aries, haha. I've learned to become the best version of myself without needing validation from anyone else. Being single is a wonderful thing and if you're single, you should embrace this time in your life, so that when you meet the right one, you'll already be filled up with your own self-love and have so much more love to give! Love is a beautiful thing and the best kind comes from within.

I've always been pro-single. I'm all about being alone, dating yourself and enjoying your own company. It's something that I've learned little by little to do. Sometimes I find myself wanting to do things or go places but stopping myself from doing things because friends aren't always available. It's something I had to learn to stop doing because I felt my days were passing by and I wasn't doing the things I wanted to do. As you grow older, responsibilities come your way and we all tend to have different responsibilities to take care of, bills to pay or schedules don't match up. So I've started to do things by myself. It's hard to casually hang out by yourself when people are looking at you at a restaurant, the movies, anywhere. Questioning "why is that girl alone?" Doing things alone and going out alone is difficult in the beginning, but once you put that fear aside and push yourself to go out you'll find it enjoyable. Doing things during the day time is much simpler...like going to the park/beach, museums, shopping, getting ice cream/food, going to the movies. You just have to give it a try. Even if you are in a relationship, you should take time for yourself. 

Dating in Los Angeles sucks. There's so many people yet it's such a lonely place and you feel completely alone. I've never been the type to like dating. Dating makes me anxious so I rather not do it. That's probably the reason why I am alone because I don't put myself out there and my friends tell me this all the time. Like to go out more, go to more bars. I strongly believe that you will find someone special at the most random and unexpected moment like a trip to Target (my dream lol). But then this does make me think sometimes that maybe I should change the way that I am, maybe I should want to go out more and meet new people. Dating in this generation is weird or perhaps I'm doing it wrong all along. 

Online dating has become increasingly popular with so many dating apps available. I've tried the whole online dating thing very briefly but I'm just not into it. Meeting a stranger in person makes me feel very anxious. I have come across people I'm interested in from meeting online but sometimes it doesn't go past a second or third date, schedules don't match or communication just stops. The whole online dating thing just isn't for me. *shrugs* 

I'm also just a really reserved person and don't tell anyone my business to anyone except my best friends. What sucks the most is opening up to the wrong person, giving the wrong person a chance or receiving mixed signals. You learn so much from those experiences but then you also feel like you just wasted your time. I refuse to settle for less than I deserve, chase after someone who doesn't want you or putting up with people who aren't worth it. I've been there, done that and will never put up with it again. Setting my standards and knowing what I deserve is so important to me. 

But being single in your twenties is the best. The more you work on you and educate yourself about the world and your place in it, you will find great people. You've got to know and love yourself first before you can love someone else. The older I've gotten, the more confidence I feel within myself being single and not necessarily ready to mingle. People nowadays are so quick to want to be with someone without finding themselves first, getting to know yourself is very important! When you know yourself and your worth, you will only attract the same. 

This rant was all over the place but nonetheless I hope you all enjoyed. Thank you so much for reading!

xo, Jasmine