From the headlines that scream at you from the shopping aisle – “36 ways to get that girl”, “78 ways to turn him on”, “Meet a new guy by summer!” – to all the cheesy pop songs (Ed Sheeran anyone?), society seems to push us towards coupledom. But Philela Singama says nah, she ain’t nobody’s bae and she’s lovin’ it, here’s why.

1 Facebook freedom

It’s a fact that when you’re in a relationship you no longer own your Facebook account because your partner will question everything you do. Sometimes they’ll question you about why you wrote a certain status and it gets really annoying when your partner starts to think every status you write has something to do with your relationship. The #1 joy of being single is that you can write whatever on Facebook, inbox and poke whoever you feel like poking without being interrogated. You can check in wherever and no one will inbox you asking, “Where you at?” or write some random comment like, “That’s my Bae.” Oh gosh! Being single means the world.

2 You can hangout with anyone you like

You will always have that friend of the opposite sex, and no matter how many times you’ve introduced him/her to your partner, your partner will never understand why you guys spend so much time together.  In fact, you will always argue about this and your partner will accuse you of dating your friend. When you’re single you can hang around with pimps, hipsters, and even your crush, and you won’t feel guilty because you have no one to explain to.

3 Not having to dress to impress

This is one of my favourites. I can rock pj’s all day long or have a bad hair day everyday. When you’re in a relationship you somehow feel the need to always look your best.  And the only reason you do this is because  you want your partner to stay interested in you. Let’s face it, no one wants to date a slob, even slobs don’t want to date slobs. The next time you’re single don’t forget to pull out those ugly pants and that hoody.

4 You can flirt with whoever

This is a definite no-no when you’re in a relationship. If you’re in relationship I strongly suggest you don’t flirt unless you want to break up and enjoy the joys of being single. Flirting is so enjoyable, it’s one of the joys that most single people live for. Flirting is what single people do almost everyday without feeling guilty.

5 Zero worries

How many times have you stressed over whether you’re dating the right girl or guy? Or whether your partner is cheating or not? Trust me, all these thoughts come with a lot of anxiety and they can make you unhappy. From the day I became single I had zero worries. I got to spend time thinking about my favourite TV shows and worrying about my favourite TV characters. Now that I’m single I know I’m loved by my family and their love feels enough to keep me warm for centuries.

6 You never have to meet weird family members

This is one of the hardest steps you’ll ever encounter in a relationship, the day when you have met to your partner’s family members. It doesn’t matter whether it’s an informal introduction or not, it’s always scary. In some cases, you will have trouble getting along with the family because some of them are just too weird. And sometimes the family may not like you because they may prefer the girl or guy before you.

Twitter: ThatsCodie