It’s a truth universally acknowledged that when the season changes to fall, everyone’s statuses become “taken.” Cuffing season has officially begun and it makes me want to vomit. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good romance, but often cuffing season leads to FOMO, love bombing and the awkward guessing game of whether or not you should get them a Christmas gift.  

Now you may ask yourself why this occurs. I believe it is because when the seasons shift and the days get colder the world around us feels more loving; more snuggly. This is also reflected in the media we consume. Think of the amount of fall-filled or snow-kissed romantic comedies that are made each year.  

However, not everyone should give in to these romantic tendencies. While I can understand not wanting to be the only single one in your friend group, it is a power of its own to stay single. As a woman who has experienced both being a single lady and another’s special someone, I’ve seen and felt it all.  

I’ve done the pumpkin patch dates, snowball fights and movie marathons with hot cocoa. I’ve also rushed into relationships that weren’t quite right so I could feel validated by everyone around me. I’ve learned since then that being single during cuffing season is not that lonely. Hell, sometimes it’s less of a headache.  

No one deserves to settle for a partner who doesn’t amount to their wants and needs. Stop looking at them with those rose-tinted glasses. James or Vanessa aren’t going to stand outside your apartment with a boombox and declare their love for you. The 2 a.m. texts aren’t a sign from the universe pulling you two together.  

You deserve better. You deserve a love hotter than the sun. A make it home safe kind of love. The kind of love that doesn’t leave you questioning if you’re dating or not. You don’t need a half-assed situationship on this year’s fall bucket list.  

We are so young in the grand scheme of things and most of us are still figuring out who we are and what we want out of life. That is okay. You don’t have to fully know yourself right now, much less yourself in proximity to a significant other.  

So if you are taken, single and ready to mingle or just vibing with yourself this season, remember that you are worthy and whole all on your own. Your value does not come from another person declaring it so. That power comes from within you.  

Bundle yourself up in blankets with hot cocoa and movies. Go to the pumpkin patch with your friends. Make a grand gesture to your loved ones. You don’t need time to slow the moment your eye meets with theirs to be the main character. Romanticize your own life in the ways you’d want someone to romanticize you.