Doctor shares benefits of staying single

(WISH) — In a hurry to find a suitable mate? Want someone to put a ring on it?

Remaining unwed or single actually comes with benefits.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day on Wednesday, here are 14 benefits to staying single according to Dr. Bruce Y. Lee of Psychology Today.

• You alone can decide what to do with your time
• You can travel anywhere, anytime you’d like. As long as you have the resources and general wherewithal to do so, as that Starship song goes, nothing’s going to stop you now.
• You can pick up and maintain any hobbies of interest. Have you always wanted to take up cheese rolling, chainsaw wood sculpting, zombie portrait painting, or Quidditch? Go for it.
• You won’t have to make career or life-goal sacrifices for someone else. When you are on the same page with a significant other, he or she may help your career. But the opposite is true when you aren’t. For example, years ago when I wanted to pursue writing and my significant other at the time tried to discourage it, it was a good move to eventually write off her and that relationship.
• You can hang out with anyone. Yeah, “We just hit off” doesn’t quite work when your partner asks where were you all weekend and what were you doing with that person.
• You may have more time to build your friendships and social circles. Ever notice how some friends totally disappear when they find a significant other?
• You can spare yourself conflict and a whole lot of drama. A partner who is not the right fit can bring a lot of fireworks into your life — just not the good kind of fireworks.
• You could end up saving more money. Sure, marriage brings tax benefits and couples can save on hotel rooms and some Groupons. However, having a partner can end up being very expensive if the two of you are not on the same financial page.
• You can wear whatever you want and decorate your place in any manner. That includes wearing a toga around home all day and having your apartment look like the modern-day Rome Coliseum, ruins and all.
• You can get to know yourself and what you want a lot better. The wrong partner can be like having a narrator for the documentary of your life when that narrator hasn’t even read your script.
• You can take better care of yourself. When you tend to be the giver in a relationship, you can forget about taking care of yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically when you are with the wrong partner.
• You can have more room to grow. Being in the wrong relationship can be like wearing leg warmers, a velour track suit, and a sweater vest that are all way too tight.
• You can become stronger, more independent, and more self-reliant. A funny thing happens when you have to make your own decisions. You get better at making your own decisions.
• You can ultimately become a better partner and have a better relationship when the right person finally comes along. Continuously jumping from relationship to relationship may not allow you the time to reflect on what you continue to do wrong and what you need to improve about yourself. You may then keep repeating the same misguided relationship cycles.

Of course, the right partner can help you with a lot of things listed above as well. For example, the right partner can motivate you to exercise regularly and even be your burpee buddy.