5 New Year's Resolutions For Single Girls That Will Leave You Refreshed & Ready To Conquer 2019
A new year kind of feels like a clean slate. In every regard, including dating, it’s an opportunity to take an honest look at what habits you’d like to ditch as well as some healthier ones you’d like to adopt. And coincidentally, there’s hardly a better time to embrace your solo status — through some 2019 New Year's resolutions for single girls, of course. In fact, there are so many ways to up your game this year, whether you’re newly single and mending a broken heart, loving the independence and freedom that comes with riding solo or have your eye out for your next potential bae.
After all, there are a plethora of perks to being single, so why not take advantage of them? For one, you don’t have to share that order of spicy pad Thai with anyone. You can pee with the door open. You’re never subjected to watching some action flick you’re totally disinterested in. Oh, and you can literally do whatever you want, whenever you want, with whomever you want, without having to answer to anyone.
But there are certain resolutions that can come in handy in order to fully leverage the benefits of single-dom. Ready to kill it in 2019? As the new year approaches, here are some new year’s resolutions for single girls to consider.
Get Your Self-Care On
If there was one health-related buzz phrase that took 2018 by storm, it may have been “self-care.” More and more, we’re becoming aware of how important it is to take time for ourselves, whether that means setting aside a half hour to meditate or read a book or taking that weekly yoga class that clears your mind.
There are so many ways to practice self-care. Specifically, in 2019, I challenge you to take yourself on dates. Who says you need a significant other to enjoy an indulgent dinner, hit up a spa, or take a cooking class? You don’t. Once you start treating yourself to these little solo dates, you’ll reinforce the idea that you don’t need anyone else to “complete” you or take care of you. Bonus: That carafe of wine you ordered is all for you, girl.
Define Your Standards
I’m a firm believer in defining exactly what you’re looking for. You know how once you hear about a particular film, or song, or idea, you seem to find it popping up everywhere? Once you became aware of it, your mind became trained to look for it. And this can be a supremely helpful concept when you’re single.
Several years back, I called my BFF in L.A. to lament about my dating woes. Exhausted, disappointed, and emotionally depleted, I felt like I was ready to throw in the towel on ever finding someone who could make me happy. She challenged me to write a list. On one side, I would write all of the behaviors or traits that were problematic or a turn-off for me throughout my dating experiences. On the other side, I was to write all of the qualities that were important to me. In heightening my awareness of what I was looking for, I became far better at realizing when I’d found it (which, spoiler alert: I finally did, eight months later). The best part about this list? Once you've defined your standards, you're less likely to settle for anything less.
Even if you’re not interested in a serious relationship, this is an exercise that can still prove immensely helpful. Whatever it is that you believe will make you feel good — whether that simply means good sex or emotional support — that should go on the list.
Nurture Your Friendships
One of the biggest problems people in relationships often notice is that their friendships may start to suffer. It makes sense, too. When you start spending a significant chunk of time with your boo, you have less time for your besties.
Luckily, as a single gal, you don’t have to worry about that. So make it a point to make those friend dates on a regular basis. If it’s feasible, try to book time to hang with a friend every week or every other week. It all comes down to what your schedule allows for — but your resolution should involve committing to a certain frequency.
A new year also presents a phenomenal opportunity to reconnect with old friends. So in scheduling those coffee dates and catch-ups over cocktails, commit to scrolling through your contacts every month and reaching out to one person you’ve lost touch with.
Become A “Yes” Girl
In the 2008 comedy Yes Man, Jim Carrey commits to saying “yes” to absolutely everything that he’s asked or invited to do. This is obviously a tad extreme (and not at all recommended). But there’s something to be said for being open to different opportunities. In 2019, vow to try something new every month, or every other week.
This is a phenomenal resolution to share with a friend, too — if you both to commit to it, you’ll be more likely to stick with your goal. Plus, you’ll have a partner in crime to try new things with, whether it’s a goat yoga class, brewing your own beer at home, or traveling to a nearby city you’ve never explored.
Stop Comparing Yourself To Others
When you’re single, it’s often tempting to get caught up in comparing your life with the lives of those in relationships. After all, it’s thrown in your face on a daily basis with gag-worthy #couplegoals Instagram posts. In peeling through all those pics of happy couples, it’s easy to get caught up in what you don’t have, but this year, I challenge you to focus instead on what you do have.
Start a list of all the things you appreciate about your current life, single status and all. Include anything and everything you can think of — like how there’s no one judging your Amazon Prime shopping habits, or how you were able to drop everything and take an impromptu road trip with your BFF last summer. Once you start recognizing all of the wonderful aspects of your single life, you’ll be far less likely to yearn for someone else’s.
Newsflash: resolutions for single people don't have to involve locking down a boo or finding more success on dating apps. They do, however, need to somehow reinforce the idea that you are self-sufficient, and that you can thrive entirely on your own. These are the kind of resolutions that boost your self-confidence, help you to grow, and ultimately, make you a better partner in your next relationship — should you choose to have one, of course.
