The month of February is surrounded by hearts and an aura of love, but this all seems lackluster to those struggling to find that special person.

But this time of year only seems miserable and gloomy if you let it.

It’s time to remove the negative stigma surrounding living a single life.

Whether it’s the constant nagging from family members or the incessant Facebook posts of friends getting engaged, it’s hard not to feel left out.

But the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in 2014 that single adults outnumber married couples. So why are we still seeing being single as shameful if it means we’re in the majority?

From as early as middle school, there is pressure to have a significant other because if you’re alone, there’s obviously something wrong with you. This idea only continues and grows through young adult life.

Society assumes it’s never a choice to be alone. Everyone is dying to be in a relationship, to be romantically loved by another human being.

In this day and age, that is simply not the case.

The single lifestyle is vastly underrated. Of course there are perks to having a significant other, but the same goes for living alone.

Think of all the food you don’t have to share, bed space to yourself, embarrassing things you don’t have to be concerned about. There is so much freedom in realizing that being single doesn’t limit you. I t doesn’t make you any less.

If anything, it makes you more independent, more sure of who you are and what you want in life, more in tune with your own needs, more invested in your own hobbies and interests.

Time you’d spend catering to another person’s wants or needs in a relationship are then spent on improving yourself and growing as a person. Nothing is tying you down or holding you back. To be cliché, you could say you’re more of a free spirit.

For most, relationships will eventually come, but there’s no need to rush. Enjoy the single life for what it is. Your time to learn and grow as your own person. Before that happens, a relationship won’t be as fulfilling.

As it goes, love yourself before you love someone else. No matter how long or short a time that takes.

Relationships can be great for growth as well, but nothing compares to the time spent alone for self-reflection. Enjoy it, embrace it, and live your single life to the fullest.

Follow @Laura_Dubs2018