The 79 Things I Learned As A Single Girl In My 20s

Despite what many people think, your twenties are honestly the perfect time to be single. These are the years you are growing into your own person, adjusting to the new world of adulthood and being exposed to things you never have been exposed to before.

You are living on your own, exploring new cities, interacting with all different types of people — all while gaining new experiences. How are you supposed to fully invest in yourself during this time if you spend it preoccupied with someone else?

Of course, people won’t agree with me, but this is my personal outlook of what I learned by being single in my twenties. Hopefully you can relate.

1. Calling a guy nice should be a compliment rather than an insult

2. After a while, it’s not as bad as it’s perceived to be

3. Over-analyzing text messages is the quickest way to drive yourself crazy

4. The best response is typically no response

5. You always have to pay for dinner… even if it’s not in cash

6. Conversation is the most important factor

7. …Aside from sex

8. Just because someone loves you does not mean that person understands you

9. You should always be your number one priority, no matter how often your relationship status fluctuates

10. A steady rotation is never a bad thing

11. However, it gets really awkward when those in the rotation meet one another

12. It doesn’t matter how many pairs of flats you purchase, he will never get any taller

13. There are certain people who make better lovers than partners

14. If you go digging for dirt, you’ll find it and you’ll regret it every f*cking time

15. You can’t always listen to everyone’s advice, you have to go with your gut

16. Being positive will make you a happier person

17. Casual sex can and will be fun, but the eventual love making can be even better

18. Being independent or thrown into a tough situation is the best way to grow into yourself

19. Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t like until you come into contact with it

20. Cry hard about something that upset you and never cry about the same thing again

21. It’s perfectly okay to stay in on the weekends with your best friend, watch “Law & Order” and complain about how single you both are

22. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me

23. Exercise for yourself not for someone else

24. Cheaters usually (always) repeat their mistakes

25. Don’t try and be someone you’re not

26. Do not cyber stalk the sh*t out of the other person before going on a date — getting to know the other person is the point of the date

27. Trying new things and having fun is the best way to figure out what it is that you want

28. Don’t purposely lead people on, it’s just cruel

29. It’s beyond beneficial to carry a mini hair brush in your purse on a night out, oh and concealer

30. There is nothing a Jimmy John’s sandwich can’t cure

31. Boys are not worth wasting a day’s makeup over

32. You discover who your die-hard friends are

33. Not every relationship you get involved in is going to be “the relationship”

34. Physical age doesn’t guarantee maturity

35. Friendships can be your most intense relationships

36. Don’t complain about something or someone you’re putting up with

37. Looks are far from everything

38. When you give certain men an inch, they will take a yard

39. How freeing it is not to have to answer to anyone

40. Your phone battery will last a lot longer without a boyfriend

41. You don’t need a boy to define you

42. Receiving “heyyyy” after 1 am means he’s trying to f*ck you, not date you

43. You need to create a happy medium between eating your feelings and burning them off

44. Forgiving someone makes you the stronger person, not the weaker one

45. It’s important to know when you need to apologize

46. Sometimes you just outgrow loving someone

47. Your past does not define you, but it can teach you valuable life lessons

48. Anything you want and need to do can be done on your own

49. Sometimes love just isn’t enough

50. Often it means more to trust someone than to love that person

51. The more anger you carry with you, the harder finding and accepting love will be

52. You should never stay with someone out of comfort or convenience

53. Honesty is mostly the best policy

54. Any and all relationships you encounter in your life will teach you a lesson, even if you are unsure what it is at the moment

55. You can’t make someone love you

56. Loving someone does not always translate into being with that person

57. It’s usually best to think with your head and not your heart, but that is not usually what happens

58. Heartbreak will never get easier but you will learn how to manage it

59. Only you can determine your self-worth

60. Invest in a hobby, it’ll help you remain sane

61. There comes a certain breaking point when you just need to let someone go

62. Do not let where others are at in their lives overwhelm or consume you

63. Always choose deep and simple over shallow and complex

64. Before you love another you must love yourself

65. Love and lust are two very, very distinct things and the sooner you realize the difference, the better off you will be

66. Men are not mind readers so don’t get mad when they don’t know what’s going on inside your head

67. For some reason some people just can’t seem to take a hint regardless of how obvious it is

68. Mostly everyone deserves a second chance, but it should be given with caution

69. If a guy will cheat on his girlfriend with you, he will do the same to you if he ever leaves her

70. Comparing yourself to someone else will only make you feel worse

71. Do not settle because you are bored or lonely

72. If you keep telling yourself there are no good, available men, then there are no good, available men

73. You are always responsible for how you act no matter how you feel

74. If he doesn’t want to get in touch with you, he won’t get in touch with you and if he does, then he will

75. For some reason as soon as you act like you’re not interested in someone, that person will start acting like he is interested in you

76. The best way to forget about a one-night stand is to delete his phone number, if you even got that far

77. If you don’t have someone by October 1, you most likely won’t have someone all winter

78. Dancing around your apartment, blasting music while crying is the best form of therapy

79. Just because you’re single doesn’t mean no one loves you