Sometimes being single is a total drag, and sometimes, it\u2019s especially sucky. Here are nine of those times, and a few little ways to work around it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. At Thanksgiving<\/strong> How to deal:<\/strong> Use your creativity. Instead of saying, \u201cI\u2019ve spent the past three weekends re-watching The Gilmore Girls,\u201d try something like, \u201cI\u2019ve been spending a lot of time with this guy, Seth.\u201d Instead of, \u201cI haven\u2019t left my house in a month, save for a trip to the corner store that sells Flamin\u2019 Hot Cheetos,\u201d say, \u201cI\u2019ve been exploring eating local.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. When You\u2019re in A Wedding<\/strong> How to deal:<\/strong> Two words… Open. Bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. When Anything Good Happens to Anyone on Facebook<\/strong> How to deal:<\/strong> Pour yourself a nice big mimosa, throw some Sex and the City reruns on the TV, and Instagram yourself sprawled out on the couch, enjoying a quiet afternoon all to yourself. You\u2019ll be the envy of every new mom, expecting mom, and bride in the throes of wedding planning on the internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. When Your Feet are Cold<\/strong> How to deal:<\/strong> If you can\u2019t afford a Jacuzzi tub in a private bathroom, your next best bet is an electric blanket. (They even have heated mattress pads now!) That and a body pillow practically equals significant other (without the snoring).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Building an Ikea Bed<\/strong> How to deal:<\/strong> Get a case of beer and call a friend. Do not, I repeat, do not tell them you have furniture to construct. You\u2019re playing dirty here; there\u2019s no other way. Once they\u2019ve had enough beer to be agreeable, break out those unmarked brown boxes and get to work. (Note: Drink responsibly. Too many beers and you\u2019ll just be sleeping in a fort made out of brown boxes.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. On a Road Trip<\/strong> How to deal:<\/strong> It\u2019s guilty pleasure time. Make a playlist of all the music you\u2019re way too embarrassed to admit you love, buy all the junk food your roommates won\u2019t allow in the house, and pile it up on the passenger side seat. The calories have become your co-pilot, and they don\u2019t side-eye you when you sing out of tune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. When You\u2019re Sick.<\/strong> How to deal:<\/strong> Taking care of yourself when you\u2019re sick is literally the worst part of being a grown up, so once you muddle through, you have to reward yourself BIG TIME. We\u2019re talking spa day, complete with detoxifying facials, mani\/pedis and mimosas. Lots of mimosas (the orange juice will help you bounce back).<\/p>\n\n\n\n 8. When You Order Take Out and They Give You Four Forks.<\/strong> How to deal:<\/strong> If you feel the need to save face, straight up lie. It\u2019s okay in this scenario. As they hand you the bag, proclaim loudly, \u201cAh yes, just heading back to my apartment where my family are waiting for their dinner.\u201d If you\u2019re feeling brave on the other hand, don\u2019t leave right away. Sit within eyesight of whoever served you and, while making eye contact, slowly go to town on your Chinese food with your single, solitary fork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 9. When You\u2019re Bingeing American Horror Story<\/strong> How to deal:<\/strong> Never watch scary shows or movies after nightfall. These are brunch-time content only. And always have a comedy buffer between your spooky shows and bedtime. A couple episodes of Bob\u2019s Burgers usually do the trick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" OK, we’ll admit it. Sometimes being single really does suck. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":13623,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[899],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-single-life"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nIt\u2019s bad enough navigating the holidays when you\u2019re single, but Thanksgiving is the worst. It\u2019s the first time you\u2019ve seen extended family members in months, and they all want to know what\u2019s new with you. The closer you are to your thirties, the more pointed the questions get. Are you seeing anyone? Have you thought about starting a family? What about so-and-so, whatever happened to him? And if you’re 30 and over, you know it’s going to be painful. Nothing stings like when your boring cousins look at you like you\u2019re the boring one when you come up empty-handed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nBeing AT a wedding when you\u2019re single isn\u2019t exactly fun, but being IN one is a whole other ball game. First off, you have to combat the \u201csingle bridesmaid\u201d stereotype that every single groomsmen is hoping turns out to be true. Secondly, you have to rectify that with the fact that… Well, okay, you ARE checking out the single groomsmen. (Why not?) And finally, you have to stand in that herd of singles just to chase down a bouquet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nEveryone plays the comparison game, and Facebook is where everyone spews all their good news, so it can be a particularly landmine-y place when you\u2019re feeling bad about being single. Yelling, \u201cI don\u2019t care about your kid\u2019s preschool graduation, KAREN,\u201d at your computer screen is a little sadder when you\u2019re home alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nPeople in serious relationships get cold feet metaphorically, but literally, their feet are never cold because it\u2019s an unwritten law that your significant other\u2019s body heat belongs to you too. It doesn\u2019t matter if you scampered outside to the recycling bin in nothing but flip flops in the dead middle of February, when you get back into bed, those icy toes are all up in the legs of their cozy sweatpants. When you\u2019re alone, you just freeze and die.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nBuilding an Ikea bed all by yourself is not impossible, but it\u2019s not exactly easy either. Propping up all the parts while trying to decipher pictorial instructions takes some mental and physical acrobatics, and all the while, you\u2019re hoping you don\u2019t get trapped under something heavy. Plus, when you\u2019re short a screw, you have no one to blame but yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nA co-pilot is a necessity\u2013they play DJ, open all your snacks when you demand them, point out the cool stuff you\u2019d miss if you were alone, and take a shift driving when you need a road-nap. Driving for any extended length of time by yourself means you have to confront the horrors of your own idle mind, and that can be well, harrowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nUnless you still live with your mom, there\u2019s no one to build you a cozy nest on the couch, bring you hot tea, make runs to the pharmacy and snuggle you until you feel better. Plus your significant other is already exposed to the germs and there\u2019s no escaping the fact that they\u2019re going to get it too, so kisses aren\u2019t forbidden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nIt\u2019s just friggin\u2019 rude. Let me ASK for extra forks!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nThe thing about starting a scary TV show is that there has to be someone around for the following reasons: a) to fight off all the demons who will try get you in your sleep, b) to corroborate your story when the demons climb out of your TV screen and try to get you, or c) to listen to all your horrific nightmares about the demons coming to get you. If you\u2019re left alone, there\u2019s really no telling what might happen. The demons will probably get you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n