10 Reasons to Date Yourself

10 Reasons to Date Yourself

Here at PRIDE, we love dating. We love dating guys from specific places, we love dating guys with different body types, and we love dating guys with various occupations. We know that we all have special qualities to offer, and those qualities make us fabulous partners.

However, while we love going out on the town and meeting new people, we have to acknowlege that media often and accidentally places a lot of focus on dating, inadvertently making it seem like you need a man to be happy. This is simply not true, which is why we have to let people know that you don’t need anyone but yourself to feel happy and whole. Here are 10 reasons why you should date (and love) yourself.

1. You know what you like better than anyone else

You know yourself better than anyone. You can go to new events, parks, museums, restaurants, or anywhere else you want to go. Not sure of exactly what you like? Now is the time to find out! Explore, and get to know yourself even better.

2. You can be spontaneous

If something exciting comes up last minute, you’re not tied to anyone else. You can take advantage of opportunities that come your way, doing whatever it is that you want to do.

3. Masturbating is f*cking great

Don't get me wrong, sex with another person is really, really awesome, but masturbating is highly underrated. You get to watch whatever you want to and fantasize about whatever you’d like. Additionally, masturbating is not nearly as tiring as sex, and doesn’t require any preparations (i.e. cleaning).

4. You get a higher quality of sleep

You don’t have to sleep next to a snoring man who tosses and turns, kicking all the sheets off the bed. No pesky alarm clocks going off an hour earlier than you need to wake up. You can spread yourself diagonally across the whole bed without feeling guilty. Sleeping alone is truly restful.

5. You will become more adept to and confident about talking to strangers

When you go out alone, you meet and talk to more strangers. This can increase confidence and teaches you much needed social skills, which are dying in the era of Grindr and technology.

6. You get dressed up for yourself

You wear what you want to wear. It’s not for anyone else but you. This takes a ton of pressure off your attire, and can make the getting-ready process actually enjoyable.

7. You get to explore the world around you

You get to people-watch, truly seeing what’s around you. When you’re on your own, you get to stop and smell the roses and notice the small details of the community and environment you live in.

8. There’s no better date than a fabulous book

When was the last time you sat down and read something you loved? Now that you think about it, it’s probably been a while. Not trying to sound like an elementary school library promotion, but reading is fun. There are few things simpler and more pleasurable than picking up a book, getting cozy under the covers, and losing yourself in a fantasy world.

9. You learn more about yourself

Dating yourself forces you to be introspective and evaluate your life choices. What type of person do you want to be? Are you happy with your job? Do you really like your friends or are they just convenient? Often times, we don’t stop to think about ourselves in this way. We’re too busy and keep going with the flow. Dating yourself allows you time to become better acquainted with yourself and your world.

10. Happiness comes from within

It may be super corny, but this hackneyed aphorism holds true. As the one and only RuPaul says, “if you can’t love yourself, how the hell you gonna love somebody else?”