You shouldn’t rush into the wrong relationship because you’re lonely. It’s much more fun to be single than to be stuck with the wrong person. Having someone to hang out with on weekends and to text when you don’t have anything better to do might sound nice, but you’re not going to have a good time if you’re not a good match. You’re still going to feel lonely, even when you’re in the same room together — and that’s much worse than feeling lonely when you’re on your own.

You shouldn’t rush into the wrong relationship because you’re worried you’re falling behind your friends. There might be people the same age as you, or even younger than you, who are getting married and buying houses and having children — but that doesn’t mean you should be checking off those same milestones. Everyone reaches different stages at different times of their life, so you shouldn’t feel pressured to follow in their footsteps. You should pave your own path. Besides, you can’t assume those people have their lives together, simply because that’s what they show on social media. You might secretly be happier than them. They might even be jealous of you.

You shouldn’t rush into the wrong relationship because you’re bored and want to bring a bit of excitement into your life. Even if you think you can handle the potential heartbreak, you could end up breaking someone else’s heart in the process. You know what it’s like to be led on by someone you thought was serious about you — and you don’t want to put someone else through that kind of pain. You don’t want to be the reason they give up on love. Feel free to flirt and go out on casual dates and have a good time, but don’t enter a committed relationship if you aren’t serious about the commitment part.

You shouldn’t rush into the wrong relationship because you’re worried you’re never going to find anyone else willing to put up with you. You shouldn’t settle for someone you feel iffy about because you are convinced they’re the only one who is ever going to show interest in you. Even though your insecurities might be warning you to take what you can get, you cannot settle for less than you deserve. If someone doesn’t feel like a good fit for you, don’t force it. You’ll find someone else. They are not the only person in the world who is going to see your value, so stop selling yourself short.

You are bound to date the wrong people throughout the course of your life — and that’s okay. You’ll learn more with every relationship. You’ll grow with every heartbreak. However, you shouldn’t rush into the wrong relationship for the wrong reasons. You shouldn’t assume being single is the worst thing that could possibly happen to you and rush into the first relationship you can find. It’s okay to be single for a while. It’s okay to focus on yourself for now.