Even though being solo can be an empowering and amazing feeling, if it's been a while since you've been on your own — or you're still reeling from your first breakup — it can take a little time to adjust to your newly single status. But it's important to remember that being single is so much better than being in a relationship that isn't working.
"I'd rather be single, in a comfortable relationship with myself, than trapped in a dysfunctional, toxic relationship with someone else," certified relationship coach Rosalind Sedacca tells Bustle. "Being single gives me freedom so I don't waste time or energy on a relationship partner who doesn't value me and my attributes. I've given up drama and appreciate my life as it is now."
And even if you were in a relatively drama-free relationship, being single can allow you to really grow. "While a healthy relationship is certainly a beautiful thing, there are also plenty of benefits to staying single as well," Logan Cohen, LMFT-S, tells Bustle. "Someone who is single can have their immediate surroundings reflect their specific needs MUCH more consistently than if in a partnership. Single people also have a lot more time to develop their platonic social network, grow professionally, and even do their own personal growth work while not being distracted by the concerns of a partner."
If you need a little boost to help adjust to your newly-single status, here are some empowering quotes to remind you that being on your own can be amazing — and that there's a whole more lot to focus on than your love life.
1"Hope for love, pray for love, wish for love, dream for love…but don’t put your life on hold waiting for love." - Mandy Hale
No matter how much you might want to be in a relationship — and that's totally fine if you do — this is a good reminder not to put everything else to the side while you look for it.
2"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." - Buddha
Who better than Buddha to add a little perspective to your breakup? Just concentrate on the moment and the rest will follow.
3"We accept the love we think we deserve." - Stephen Chbosky
A powerful statement on the kind of a relationships we choose, this quote can help you remember that you should look for something that really benefits and enhances your life in the next relationship.
4"You have to start by changing the story you tell yourself about getting older... The minute you say to yourself, 'Time is everything, and I'm going to make sure that time is used the way I dream it should be used,' then you've got a whole different story.” — Diane Sawyer
If you have a tendency to panic when you're single because you feel like you aren't where you want to be at this point in your life, this quote can help you remember to eff the expectations and just focus on moving forward.
5"Anybody can learn to think, or believe, or know, but not a single human being can be taught to feel... the moment you feel, you're nobody ― but yourself ― in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else ― means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting." - E.E. Cummings
Keeping fighting that battle.
6"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." - Eleanor Roosevelt
This is such a great quote and the perfect one to look at when you're newly single.
7"Don't be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth." - Rumi
In case you need a little carpe diem energy in your life, post-breakup.
8"The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity." -Amelia Earhart
Sometimes, it's all just about choosing to keep trying, little by little.
9"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow." - Mary Anne Radmacher
If you're feeling low, remember strength doesn't have to come with parades and fireworks.
10“Do not feel lonely, the entire universe is inside you.” – Rumi
Remind yourself you've got this.
11“Fall in love with your solitude.” — Rupi Kaur
If you're worried about being single, remember this.
Being newly single can feel like being thrown for a total loop, but that's not a reason to doubt yourself. Give yourself some time to recover, but don't let one breakup define your life. You're about so much more than that.
